Anyone who watches baseball knows that closers are their own breed. Many of these guys are weird, and they aren’t afraid to show it. Like many closers before him, Cleveland’s Chris Perez is one of the more animated players in the game. On Thursday night, Alex Rios took exception to that as Perez closed out a 7-5 win over Chicago.

According to MLB.com, Perez got the benefit of a borderline third-strike call to A.J. Pierzynski for the second out of the ninth inning and gave a strong fist pump. He then got Rios to ground into the game’s final out, which led to more celebrating and a heated exchange between him and the White Sox outfielder.

“Well, I don’t know what was wrong with him,” Rios said with a smirk after the game. “He just started yelling for no reason. I don’t know why he started yelling, and that’s it.

“When I hit that ground ball, he was yelling when (Cabrera) was throwing to first. He was yelling the whole way. I couldn’t tell what he was saying. He was just staring and saying something.”

Perez said he was yelling at his teammates because he was happy they came up with a crucial win and that his animation was not directed toward Rios — not that he cares what Rios thinks anyway.

“He’s on a different team,” Perez said. “I’m not friends with him. I don’t know him personally. I’ve just been playing against him. That’s it. If he’s mad, whatever. I don’t care.”

The more it bothers opponents, the happier guys like Perez are with their antics. The best thing Rios can do is pretend it doesn’t affect him.


(yardbarker.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez worked a perfect 12-pitch ninth inning Friday, May 4, against the Texas Rangers for his 10th save of the season. After blowing his first save chance of the season April 5, Perez has converted 10 straight save chances and allowed just one earned run in 11 innings over the past 12 appearances.


(kffl.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Through one-plus month of the baseball season, closing has proven hazardous to the mental and physical health. If closers are not getting rocked, they are tearing ACLs while shagging fly balls in batting practice.

The Indians have been fortunate. Not only has their closer survived, he has thrived. Chris Perez has 10 saves in 11 opportunities and a 3.09 ERA after Friday's 6-3 victory over Texas. Since a rocky appearance on Opening Day, when he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning in a blown save against Toronto, he has allowed one run in 11 innings of 12 appearances.

While Perez has lived up to his All-Star status of last season, a number of his peers has had all sorts of issues. Here is a sampling of what already has befallen closers:

Mariano Rivera, Yankees: The greatest ever suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee during batting practice Thursday at Kansas City. He was tracking a fly ball hit by former Indian Jayson Nix. Rivera, 42, is a 12-time All-Star.

Brian Wilson, Giants: The three-time All-Star underwent Tommy John surgery in April, the second such surgery of his career.

Joakim Soria, Royals: The two-time All-Star injured his right elbow in spring training and underwent reconstructive surgery.

Sergio Santos, Blue Jays: He was placed on the disabled list April 21 because of right-shoulder inflammation. He is 2-for-4 in save chances and owns a 9.00 ERA in six games.

Carlos Marmol, Cubs: He entered Friday at 2-for-4 and owned a 6.23 ERA in 12 games. He was replaced as closer this week.

Heath Bell, Marlins: He entered Friday at 3-for-6 and owned an 11.74 ERA in 10 games. He went 43-for-48 last year with San Diego.

J.J. Putz, Diamondbacks: He entered Friday at 5-for-7 and owned a 6.48 ERA in nine games. He went 45-for-49 last year.

Jose Valverde, Tigers: He entered Friday at 4-for-5 and owned a 5.59 ERA in 10 games. In the 2011 regular season, he was 49-for-49 and had a 2.24 ERA.

Alfredo Aceves, Red Sox: He entered Friday at 5-for-7. In the two blown saves, he gave up eight runs.

Perez did not need to be informed as to how difficult it has been for closers this season.

"We're sort of a fraternity,'' he said. "We feel for each other, because we understand how short people's memories can be. You're always one or two bad streaks away from them calling for your job. And that's how it should be. When you have the lead after eight innings, you've got to win those games.''

Nothing to see here: Perez does not care what a TV replay might suggest or what White Sox outfielder Alex Rios says. Perez reiterated Friday afternoon that he directed no ill will toward Rios at the end of Thursday night's game in Chicago.

As Rios grounded to Asdrubal Cabrera for what was to become the final out of a 7-5 Tribe victory, Perez is seen turning toward the first-base line and yelling. As Rios runs to first, Perez's head follows him.

Rios reached the bag and immediately turned. He flapped his arms and barked at Perez.

"When I was running to first, he was yelling the whole way,'' Rios told reporters. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He just started yelling at me. For no reason. I couldn't tell what he was saying; he was just staring and saying something.''

Perez said he simply was pleased that the Indians prevailed.

"I wasn't talking anything to Rios,'' he said. "I couldn't care less if it was he or (A.J.) Pierzynski or (Paul) Konerko -- whoever made the last out, I was going to do the same thing. It was for the team. We had just won a series on the road.''

Perez maintained that his look toward the first-base line only was to follow the ball into first baseman Casey Kotchman's glove.

"When I knew Cabby had it, I yelled, '(Expletive), yeah! Game's over!''' Perez said. "I watched the ball go to first, then Rios spun on me. I said, 'What? The game's over. What's your problem?'''

Rios said: "If you are celebrating, that's not the right way to do it.''

Rios said he has no history with Perez -- but he does have a walkoff grand slam against him. On Sept. 10, 2011, Rios's blast with one out in the 10th inning gave the White Sox a 7-3 victory.

"Rios was happy after he hit that homer, as he should be,'' Perez said. "And I had a right to be happy after we won a series in their place.''
Give him his due: Count Perez and his teammates among those pleased that Rivera has vowed to return next season. Rivera is MLB’s all-time saves leader with 608.

“You want to see him keep going, for all that he’s meant to the game,” Perez said. “As an athlete, you always want to go out on your own terms and not because you’re not good enough or because of injury.”

Tribe left fielder Johnny Damon said: “He’s one of the greatest pitchers of all time — not just relievers.”

Damon, who played with Rivera in New York, said the closer always has enjoyed running down balls in batting practice.

“For the past 17 years, he probably was the best center fielder the Yankees had,” Damon said. “That’s how good of a shagger he was.”


(cleveland.com)

CHICAGO -- As Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez started to celebrate his team’s 7-5 win on Thursday night, Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios took exception.

Believing that the demonstrative closer was yelling at him, Rios wasn’t so quick to leave the field. Instead he stared down Perez and began to shout in his direction.

Even as the dust of Chicago’s loss settled, Rios was still somewhat flummoxed.

“I don’t know what was wrong with him,” Rios said. “He just started yelling … for no reason. … When I hit the ground ball and I was running to first, he was yelling (at me) the whole way.”

The brief exchange between the two players escalated no further than a few words, however.

“I couldn’t tell what he was saying, he was just staring and saying something,” Rios said after the game. “If he was celebrating, that is not the right way to do it.”

Perez had a different take on the final out of the game.

“He might of thought I was yelling at him,” Perez said. “I wasn’t. I was yelling at my teammates, happy about the win.

According to both players, there was no past incident or bad blood between them prior to Thursday’s game.

“The only history we have is I gave up a grand slam to him last year,” Perez said. “He is a competitor, I am a competitor. He is on a different team. I am not friends with him. If he is mad I don’t care.”

The two teams play a four-game series in Cleveland beginning on Monday.

“You can use that as motivation in some way,” Rios said. “But let’s just play ball.”


(espn.com)

Chris Perez picked up his ninth save of the season, working 2/3 of an inning against the White Sox on Thursday.

The Indians led 7-3 heading into the ninth inning, and it didn't look like Perez' services would be needed. However, after Dan Wheeler surrendered a two-run homer to Adam Dunn, Perez came on to record two easy outs and pick up his ninth save of the season.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND: Chris Perez acted like a rookie.

Perez, the Indians’ closer, was way too excited and kind of feeling as if he were facing the biggest situation on the mound he’d ever encountered.
But Perez, a first time All-Star last season, has been around the major leagues long enough to know that although Opening Day is always a big deal, he’s certainly pitched in bigger situations.

So after he blew a three-run lead and the save that led to the Tribe’s 16-inning Opening Day loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, he promptly got over it and went back to being his normal, fun-loving self.

“I wasn’t worried after what happened on Opening Day because it helped knowing I’d been there before, having blown my first [save] opportunity in Double-A,” Perez said. “I know it’s just Double-A, but it’s still experience you can go back to. After I blew that save, I reeled off 34 in a row, so I’ve been there. I’ve blown it, had my back against the wall and recovered.”

In fact, Perez, 26, and the Tribe bullpen are a big reason the Indians are in first place going into a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox that starts tonight at U.S. Cellular Field.

Since the Opening Day disaster, Perez (0-0, 4.00 ERA) has been perfect. He’s saved each of his seven opportunities since, tying him for first among American League closers. Perez has held the opposition to one run in 8⅓ innings and opponents are hitting .161 against him in his past nine games.

“It starts from the top, the closer, and trickles down,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “If your top guy is doing good, then the rest of the guys just seem to fall into line. For Chris, he was right back out there right away and it didn’t even take him two outings to recover.”

Last year, in his first full season as the Tribe’s closer, Perez converted 36-of-40 save opportunities to rank fourth in the American League in saves and save percentage (90 percent). He saved 16 consecutive games from May 1 through July 15 and already ranks fifth in club history with 67 saves.

In spring training, Perez talked about how good he felt, better than he had all the previous season while dealing with a nagging arm injury.

Then he suffered a strained left oblique that kept him from making his first spring outing until right at the end of camp on March 29.

So when he blew his first save opportunity of 2012 in front of a Progressive Field crowd of 43,190, there were whispers that perhaps he was still hurt.

Maybe Perez was rushed back too soon. Maybe he should have gone on a minor-league rehab outing first to make sure he wasn’t rusty. Maybe his mechanics were out of whack from sitting out so long.

The worst part for Perez wasn’t the blown save. He knows he’s not going to be perfect all season. The worst part was what happened afterward, the game dragging on through seven extra innings before Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia hit a three-run homer that helped to end the longest Opening Day game in big-league history.

“I don’t know what it was that day, I just wasn’t myself,” Perez said. “It was my first inning of the year and the first two guys hit rockets right back at me. You start thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to have to try to trick ’em today.’ Instead of just trusting your stuff and saying, ‘I have good stuff, I’ll just come back and get ’em.’ ”

The time before the Indians joined Perez in the locker room gave him plenty of time to stew over his mistakes. Plenty of time to dress, shower and leave before the media arrived in front of his locker, wanting to recount the details of how and why he’d blown it.

Instead, Perez was patiently waiting for everyone, wanting to be there for his teammates and stand up to the media to take responsibility for the mess he’d left.

“It was a three-run lead but I still let everything just kind of speed up on me,” Perez said. “I just never recovered in time. Suddenly, two guys are on and [Blue Jays slugger Jose] Bautista’s coming up. That’s not how you want to start your first outing.”

Although Perez handled himself with class afterward, he had the need to seek out Acta.

“He’s got such good makeup for that job, the very next day he was over it,” Acta said. “But he still apologized to me a couple days later. Not because he didn’t get the job done, but because he wasn’t able to slow things down. He felt like he acted like a rookie because he was so excited that night.”

Perez knows now that finding a way to harness his excitement is part of his job as a closer.

“The closer’s job is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately? role,” he said. “Even Mariano Rivera, if he goes out there and blows four in a row, people are going to start calling for his job. I might have bought a couple blown saves with what I’ve done in the past, but at the end of the day, you can’t let the team tank because you can’t get three outs. I knew I had to figure out what I did wrong and fix it immediately.”


(ohio.com)

Chris Perez struggled in the ninth inning against the Royals on Tuesday, but escaped with his seventh save of the season.

Perez surrendered a run on a couple of hits in this one, but got Jeff Francoeur to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game. He's now saved seven straight after his blow up on Opening Day, and appears safe in the closer's role for the time being.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND — When Chris Perez blew a save on Opening Day, Northeast Ohio fans were ready to rip off his Indians uniform and trade him for Luis Valbuena.

Since then, Perez has had six chances to save games and has succeeded six times, allowing no runs, three hits and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. Perez cleaned up on the Tribe’s trip to Kansas City, Seattle and Oakland, picking up five saves, including three on consecutive nights.

So was Perez in danger of being overworked?

“Things even out in the course of the season,” manager Manny Acta said Tuesday. “When your team is losing, the closer is fresh and well rested. If you’re winning, he’s going to have to pitch a lot.”

Perez is 4-for-4 in one-run saves, 1-for-1 in two-run saves, 0-for-1 in three-run saves and 1-for-1 in four-run saves (the tying run was on deck).
“But we manage him so he doesn’t pitch more than three days in a row, unless there’s an emergency. If you’re winning and fatigue becomes an issue, you deal with that,” Acta said.

Most relievers thrive on work. Pitching two or three days in a row can sharpen a closer’s command and usually has little effect on his velocity or the movement of his pitches. Of course, there are exceptions, and even the most durable closer has limits.

But that’s why baseball teams have managers and pitching coaches. All relievers are monitored for signs of a tired arm.

“We look at how many times they’re up, and we go by pitches thrown,” Acta said. “We check with them every day.”

Perez wasn’t the only Tribe reliever to benefit from the nine-game trip that ended Sunday. The relief corps posted an aggregate earned-run average of 0.92 on the trip, giving up just two runs in 19 2/3 innings.

Yet because of an unproductive season-opening homestand, the bullpen ranks 10th in the American League with a 4.58 ERA (down from 6.51).


(therepublic.com)

Chris Perez said he may appeal a $750 fine he was given for a tweet following the April 14 dispute between the Indians and Royals.

Perez's tweet read, "Huge team win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. It's not 'Our Time,' it's TribeTime. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period." Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's dean of discipline, said the tweet, "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the players on both clubs," but Perez disagrees, also noting that Jack Hannahan was ejected during the game but only was fined $500. "How do you justify that? [Hannahan] got thrown out of the game for being aggressive and instigating and he got fined less than I did?" Perez said. "But I showed reckless disregard for safety? I just don't understand." Perez was not suspended for his actions.


(rotoworld.com)

SEATTLE -- A $750 fine is not going to take the Tweet out of Chris Perez.

The Tribe's closer says his Tweeting style isn't going to change and that he may appeal the fine imposed on him by Joe Garagiola Jr., MLB's dean of discipline, stemming from the Tweet he posted following Saturday night's dispute between the Indians and Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

In the letter Perez received from MLB on Wednesday informing him of the fine, Garagiola told Perez he "demonstrated a reckless disregard for the players on both clubs."

"To me that would be saying to the Royals, 'Look out, I'm coming for you. And then hitting somebody. Inciting it,'" said Perez. "Looking back, nothing happened [Sunday]. We played a regular game. Nothing happened the rest of [Saturday], I pitched that night. I don't see where the reckless disregard for the players safety was."

Three Indians were ejected Saturday in the third inning of their 11-9 victory over the Royals -- starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta. Gomez was suspended five games and fined for hitting Kansas City's Mike Moustakas after Royals left-hander Jonathan Sanchez hit Shin-Soo Choo in the top of the third. Hannahan was fined $500 and Acta was fined an undisclosed amount.

Gomez and Acta were automatically ejected because warnings had been issued after Choo was hit. Hannahan was ejected for his actions during the two bench-clearing incidents.

"I'm still kind of baffled that I got fined more than someone who got thrown out of the game," said Perez. "How do you justify that? [Hannahan] got thrown out of the game for being aggressive and instigating and he got fined less than I did?

"But I showed reckless disregard for safety? I just don't understand."

Two years ago team president Mark Shapiro embraced Twitter and other social media platforms as a way for the Indians to reach out to their fans. He encouraged players to open accounts. Shapiro, GM Chris Antonetti and Acta have their own accounts.

"For me, I think our players have been extremely responsible and done a good job promoting the team, the game and themselves," said Shapiro. "I look at this as a learning opportunity."

Shapiro said that when he read Perez's Tweet, "I thought that's probably borderline. I think that quote probably would have been disciplined no matter where it appeared."

Here Perez's Tweet: "Huge team win tonight, time for a sweep of the Royals. It's not 'Our Time,' it's TribeTime. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."
The Royals slogan this year is "Our Time." Perez said he read MLB's and the Indians' social media policies. He did not feel he crossed any lines.
"It's freedom of speech," said Perez. "I felt I was within my rights as an American."

Perez is one of several players who have been fined over the last two seasons for what MLB determined to be inappropriate Tweets. When asked what his thoughts were on the subject, Acta said, "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... and their own thoughts."

Shapiro believes Twitter represents a good opportunity for the Indians to bond with their fans.

"There will always be a line ... instances that require judgment," he said. "Sometimes mistakes will be made."

Perez, in his own way, agreed with Shapiro's take.

"You have to take the good and the bad," he said. "I don't think it was that bad, unless you're the Royals. But who cares? We're not the Royals. We're not supposed to be friends with them. I don't have any friends on that team and I don't really care for them all that much."


(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) - Fines, suspensions, tweets. Are the Indians becoming the bad boys of Major League Baseball?

It sure seems that way, as just hours it was announced that pitcher Jeanmar Gomez was hit with a five-game suspension for throwing at the Royals on Saturday night, closer Chris Perez was hit with a fine for throwing out a tweet from the bench during the game.

The Indians closer was hit with the fine according to the Plain Dealers Paul Hoynes, who tweeted out earlier tonight from Seattle the following:
MLB fines Tribe closer Chris Perez for Tweet about Royals following Sat’s melee at Kauffman Stadium. Said he “crossed the line.” #Indians.”

The tweet in question that Perez threw out eluded to “You hit us, we hit you, period.” That of course could be where the crossing of the line came into play for Perez.

The amount of the fine was not disclosed.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

Chris Perez allowed the Mariners to load the bases in the ninth inning Tuesday, but he rebounded to pick up his third save.

Perez escaped without surrendering the lead in a 9-8 game, but his inning was a whole lot shakier than Vinnie Pestano's eighth, even though Pestano faced the top of the order and Perez got the bottom. Perez has now pitched four scoreless innings since a disastrous blown save on Opening Day.


(rotoworld.com)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chris Perez wears his emotions on his sleeve and sometimes expresses them in a tweet.

Like Saturday night, after the Indians beat the Royals 11-9 in 10 innings in a game that featured two bench-clearing incidents when Shin-Soo Choo and Kansas City third baseman Mike Moustakas were hit by pitches.

Perez tweeted the following: "Huge team win tonight; time for a sweep to tell the Royals it's not 'Our Time,' it's Tribe Time. P.S. You hit us, we hit you. Period."

"Our Time" refers to the Royals' 2012 marketing slogan.

When asked about the tweet, the Tribe closer said, "It's the same as when I'm talking to you. I'm not afraid to say what I believe."

Trouble began in the third inning Saturday night, when Jonathan Sanchez hit Choo with a fastball just above the right knee, and Choo had a few words for Sanchez, as players swarmed the field.

Last year, when he was with the Giants, Sanchez broke Choo's left thumb with a pitch, putting Choo on the disabled list for almost seven weeks.
Moustakas led off the Kansas City third and was hit in the back by Jeanmar Gomez. Again benches cleared. Gomez, Jack Hannahan and manager Manny Acta were ejected.

Choo has been hit three times this season and almost was struck a fourth time. Perez's point: Even if no one threw at Choo intentionally, it's time the Indians send a message that recklessly pitching inside will not be tolerated.

"I'm not saying we let this go in the past, but we didn't have the right mindset on our staff," Perez said. "Choo is our No. 3 hitter for a reason. We can't afford to have people come inside (with abandon) and have them think it's no big deal.

"Last night, I don't think Choo was hit on purpose. But that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I've seen him hit six times already (including spring training), and I missed three weeks of camp. So enough is enough."

The book on Choo is to pitch him inside so he can't extend his arms.

"I know the scouting report on Choo," Perez said. "But if they miss, they hit him (and didn't worry about it). Sanchez hit Choo last year, and he lost six weeks of his career. He's not going to get those six weeks back."

Hannahan expressed similar feelings after Saturday night's game.

"If you're going to hit our studs, we're going to hit your studs," he said. "That's the way baseball has always been, and that's the way it should be."

Perez seems to think the Royals might feel bolder because they are considered the Central Division's up-and-coming franchise.

"The way I look at it, they're still behind us," Perez said. "They might be building a better team, but we still think we're better."


(sacbee.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Five questions with closer Chris Perez after he failed to convert a save in Thursday's Opening Day 16-inning loss to Toronto.

Q: Did your strained oblique muscle in spring training affect the way you pitched in the ninth inning?
A: "It had nothing to do with my injury. It was all about bad pitches and giving guys too many pitches to hit."

Q: Given the way Justin Masterson pitched for the first eight innings, how frustrating was it not to be able to get him the victory?
A: "Oh, man, he did everything you wanted in an ace. He dominated. Two hits in eight innings with 10 strikeouts. ... This feels twice as bad. Any loss hurts, but this was the easiest save in baseball ... a three-run lead."

Q: Did you say anything to Masterson?
A: "I already apologized to Masterson. ... I'll have his back the rest of the year. That's my job."

Q: How tough is it to bounce back from failing your first save opportunity of the season?
A: "It's not the easiest thing, but I've been here before. I blew the first save opportunity in Class AA. It's not the same as the big leagues, but I've bounced back before. Hey, everybody wishes they could be Mariano Rivera."

Q: You pitched in two minor-league games and three Cactus League games in spring training because of your injury. Do you think you were rusty?
A: "If I had struggled in spring training, I might say that, but I was sharp. I was throwing strikes, attacking hitters, I had my stuff. I won't use that as an excuse.

"It wasn't the most ideal conditions in spring training for me, but if I wasn't ready to pitch, I wouldn't be here."


(cleveland.com)

Perez blew his first save opportunity of the season Opening Day against the Blue Jays, allowing two runs to score on three hits. He was pulled before he could get the third out of the inning.

Recommendation:
Vinnie Pestano replaced Perez and threw 1.1 scoreless innings as the Jays and Indians played into extras. Perez drew just one swinging strike in his 0.2 innings of work, and this is what happens when relief pitchers allow too much contact: they blow saves. This is why many were worried about his sub-6.0 strikeouts per nine innings rate last season, and if he doesn't fix it soon, it could be Pestano closing games in Cleveland instead of Perez.


(rotowire.com)

GOODYEAR (AP) — Chris Perez is healthy and back as Cleveland’s closer. Sean Marshall now has that role in Cincinnati.

Perez pitched a perfect inning for the Indians in a 2-1 loss to the Reds, after which Reds manager Dusty Baker announced that Marshall will open the year as the closer in place of Ryan Madson, out for the season.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

Once the baseball season begins Thursday, Indians closer Chris Perez will be storming the mound to the strains of "Firestarter" and seeking the final outs in close wins.

Q. How do you feel about being called Pure Rage?
A. I like it. It's not what I try to portray, but it's what I am. I get fired up.'

Q. How do you like being called the Don of the Bullpen Mafia?
A. The first rule of the club is don't talk about the club.

Q. Oh, talk a little.
A. It's a unity thing. Those guys put in most of the work and make me look good.

Q. How's your left oblique coming along?
A. It's been frustrating having to deal with this injury, but it could be worse. I'm feeling really good and am ready for the beginning of the season.

Q. When was your first glimpse of Cleveland?
A. On St. Louis, we played interleague here in 2009. I said, "This city's not bad. The stadium's beautiful." Two weeks later, I got traded here.

Q. Where have you stayed in town?
A. My wife and I lived in Westlake the first year. Last year, we lived in Lakewood, right on the lake, and got more flavor of Cleveland. We'd walk to a diner or a drugstore. This year, we found a place in Rocky River.

Q. Is our weather hard on a Tampa guy like you?
A. The weather's similar and different than Florida. It's similar because it can be bright and sunny, and 20 minutes later there's a thunderstorm.
It's nice here in the summers. Last April, it was overcast a lot, with cold rain. That's hard for anybody.

Q: Can you handle our midges?
A. One night against Oakland, it was pretty bad. A thousand flew up. You just try to block it out.

Q. How's our scenery compare with Florida's?
A. I lived on the water in Florida, so Cleveland reminds me of home. I like how East Ninth Street dips down toward the water. When the sun hits, it's beautiful.

But I'm used to the water being on the west. The lake being north threw me a little.

Q. What else is different here?
A. I like how many pockets of Cleveland are locally owned. People remember your name. It's a hometown feeling. The dry cleaners remember my order. You stay in your community and shop around the corner.

Q. Any game-day superstitions?
A. Nothing, really. I have more of a routine. After the game, coming off the field, I don't step on the baselines. It's a little respect for the field.

Q. Tell us something quirky about a teammate.
A. Roberto Hernandez, he keeps all the price tags on his hats.

Q. Where do you and Melanie grab a bite?
A. My wife and I go to Tremont, to Lucky's. We like their natural food. They have a garden. In Westlake, we'd eat at the Cabin steakhouse.

Q. Where do you go for ice cream?
A. We like Mitchell's. My wife likes cotton candy, and I usually get a "Browns" brownie with cookies and cream and rocky road, or a chocolate peanut butter shake.

Q. Where for fun?
A. We like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I became friends with one of the curators, Jim Henke. We talk baseball and music.

Q. Do you have a favorite local group?
A. The Black Keys in Akron. In the bullpen, Tony Sipp plays Kid Cudi and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

Q. Where do you take Maxwell?
A. We took him to the park in Lakewood overlooking the lake last year. He hasn't been in the lake yet. He was too young. Maybe this year.

Q. Where do you get haircuts, if ever?
A. I've gotten haircuts in Norwalk, Ohio. The owners of the Christian Roberts spa are big Indians fans.

Q. How do you like Cleveland fans?
A. They're diehards. They're very loyal. They're really hungry for a championship, but they appreciate good effort.

Q. Do you believe in the Cleveland curse?
A. There's just been some bad luck, and that's sports. Eventually it's going to happen, and Clevelanders are going to be really proud.


(cleveland.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez enjoyed a silky smooth Cactus League debut on Thursday, throwing just five pitches in a hitless inning against the Rockies.

MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian has the full report.

Perez missed most of spring training after suffering a left oblique strain during a late-February bullpen session. But he pitched in two minor league games before Thursday’s debut and is scheduled to make two more Cactus League appearances before the Indians head north next week. The bearded 26-year-old should be completely up to speed by Opening Day.

Perez registered a cool 3.32 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 59 2/3 innings last season while tallying 36 saves.


(hardballtalk.com)

MESA, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez never doubted that he would be ready in time for Opening Day. With the season's first game a little more than a week away, it appears he will indeed meet that goal.

Following a pair of successful outings in Minor League games, Perez is scheduled to make his Cactus League debut when Cleveland hosts the Rockies on Thursday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark. The left-oblique injury that sidelined the closer early in camp has not caused any lingering issues over the last five weeks.

"He's right on schedule to be ready for Opening Day, unless he has a setback," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We're going on him. He's feeling good. Our medical staff is on board. His velocity was fine the other day, so we'll go on him outing by outing. But right now, he's on schedule to be ready for Opening Day."

Perez injured his side while working through his first bullpen session of the spring on Feb. 23. He resumed pitching off a mound on March 16 and has since advanced through live batting practice sessions and Minor League games.

The closer said on Wednesday that he has not felt any discomfort in his side since that first mound session.

That being the case, the Indians are expecting their Opening Day bullpen to include Perez, who saved 36 games in 40 chances last year and earned a spot on the American League All-Star team. If Perez were to suffer a setback, Acta has noted that setup man Vinnie Pestano would act as the temporary closer.


(mlb.com)

Good news out of Goodyear, Arizona.

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Indians closer Chris Perez tossed a perfect seven-pitch frame Saturday in a minor league exhibition game. It was his first live action of the spring, and it couldn’t have gone smoother.

Perez strained an oblique muscle during his first bullpen session of the year and has yet to make an appearance in a Cactus League game. But that should change sometime early next week. The 26-year-old right-hander retired the first batter he faced Saturday on a grounder to short, the second on a line drive to center and the third on a dribbler to first base.

As long as there are no further setbacks, Perez should be sufficiently geared up by Opening Day. He registered a cool 3.32 ERA and 1.21 WHIP across 59 2/3 innings last year while saving 36 games.


(hardballtalk.com)

Goodyear, AZ, United States (AHN Sports) – Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez took a positive step toward returning to the mound Wednesday.

Perez threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session under the watchful eye of Indians manager Manny Acta and the All Star looks like he is on the road to recovery.

“He looked really good, man,” Acta said. “He was able to throw all his pitches. His slider was really good. I was very impressed. I’m looking forward to seeing him out there. I think we’ve got plenty of time to get him ready for Opening Day.”

Perez is coming back form an oblique injury that occurred on Feb. 23 during his first bullpen session of the spring. The initial timetable for recovery was projected as four to six weeks.

With Wednesday’s session a success, Perez will look to start pitching in Cactus League games, which could happen as early as Friday or Saturday. Perez could make as many as six appearances before Opening Day.

“I felt great,” said Perez. “For the first time out there, I don’t think it could’ve gone any better. I didn’t feel it at all. I wasn’t apprehensive like the last couple [bullpen sessions]. I warmed up good, threw all my pitches and it was fun facing hitters.”


(gantdaily.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez could not help himself in the heat of the moment.

As the ball shot off Trevor Crowe's bat and headed back toward the mound on Wednesday morning, Perez thrust his right hand -- his pitching hand -- out to his side in an effort to make a catch. The baseball glanced off the closer's hand and bounced into shallow left field.

"What are you doing?" Crowe yelled from the batter's box.

Trying to catch a sharply struck baseball with a bare hand is a major faux pas for pitchers. Doing so in a live batting-practice session while trying to come back from a strained left oblique -- as was the case for Perez on Wednesday -- is frowned upon even further. Fortunately for Perez and the Indians, it was a minor blip in an otherwise encouraging outing.

"I was just reacting, honestly," Perez said. "I wasn't expecting the first time facing hitters to have the third one hit right back at me. Luckily, we escaped some damage."

Indians manager Manny Acta, who stood behind the batting cage to get a close look at Perez's progress, walked away impressed with what he witnessed on one of the backfields at the team's player development complex. Perez threw with authority and has put himself on a great pace to be ready in time for the start of the regular season.

"He looked really good, man," Acta said. "He was able to throw all his pitches. His slider was really good. I was very impressed. I'm looking forward to seeing him out there. I think we've got plenty of time to get him ready for Opening Day."

Likewise, Perez was in a great mood following his 20-pitch session, during which teammates Crowe and Chad Huffman stepped to the plate to offer the closer a couple of hitters. Crowe hit from the left side and Huffman from the right, allowing Perez to work on his location to both sides of the plate with his fastball and slider.

When the smoke cleared, Perez felt no lingering issues from the oblique injury that flared up on Feb. 23 during his first bullpen session of the spring. The initial timetable for recovery was projected as four to six weeks, and Cleveland's high-energy closer plans on doing everything in his power to be ready in time for Opening Day.

Getting through Wednesday's workout unscathed was a major step.

"Without a doubt," Perez said. "It's the biggest one so far -- the biggest hurdle."

With the live BP workout behind him, Perez can finally turn his focus toward pitching in Cactus League contests. His first official game outing will likely fall on Friday or Saturday, and the closer would likely pitch on an every-other-day basis down the stretch. Under that scenario, Perez could make as many as six appearances before Opening Day.

Perez -- a first-time All-Star for the American League last season -- said the most important aspect of Wednesday's session was the fact that he did not hold anything back. After firing his first pitch, the right-hander did not feel any tightness, allowing him to loosen up and throw with more conviction for the rest of the program.

"I felt great," said Perez, who saved 36 games in 40 chances for the Indians in 2011. "For the first time out there, I don't think it could've gone any better. I didn't feel it at all. I wasn't apprehensive like the last couple [bullpen sessions]. I warmed up good, threw all my pitches and it was fun facing hitters.

"That was another thing I was worried about, is not letting it go. I didn't feel anything. The first pitch I let it go and it felt good. I think that's what made it work today. I didn't feel anything at all from the onset. I just worked into it and let it go."

Joining the closer on Cleveland's comeback trail Wednesday were fellow relievers Rafael Perez and Robinson Tejeda.

Perez and Tejeda each logged one shutout inning in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Giants at Goodyear Ballpark. The left-handed Perez -- a lock to make the Opening Day bullpen, barring a setback -- struck out two in his lone frame. Tejeda, who is competing for one of the two available relief roles, gave up one walk and a hit, but escaped without allowing a run.

"He was around the strike zone," said Acta, referring to Rafael Perez. "He had a good slider. He was able to face some lefties and was able to retire them with no problem. It was good to see him get out there and have no traffic whatsoever on the bases."

Acta added that he still thinks there is time for Tejeda to make a run at a bullpen job.

"Hopefully we can get him enough innings," Acta said. "It's kind of tough at the end of camp, because the starters are getting stretched out and we need to see the relievers, too. But I think there's enough time to see what he's got."

Acta could do without seeing any more of his pitchers reach for hard-hit grounders with their bare pitching hand, though.
"Hey, it's instincts," Acta said with a shrug. "It was just reaction."


(mlb.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians are one step closer to getting back their closer.

On Friday morning, Chris Perez had his first bullpen session since straining his left side in his first bullpen of the spring on Feb. 23, and the 10-minute workout was deemed a success.

Perez said he eased his way into it but turned his fastball loose late in the session and didn't experience any problems.

"It felt good," said Perez, who saved a career-high 36 games in 2011, his first season as the team's full-time ninth-inning man. "I'm not 100 percent yet. I wouldn't expect to be. I felt like it was the first bullpen of Spring Training -- you know, kind of rusty, not hitting all my spots.

"But the side felt amazing. It felt better than I thought it would."

The plan for Perez is to throw another bullpen session on Sunday, which will be followed by a live batting practice session and then, if all goes well, his 2011 Cactus League debut.

Indians manager Manny Acta said a healthy closer would ideally get between 10 and 12 innings in a spring, but that Perez could still be ready for the beginning of the regular season even with only six or seven frames under his belt. Acta added that he liked what he saw from Perez on Friday.

"He put good effort into it and threw the ball very good with good life on his fastball," Acta said. "It's very encouraging to see him do that."

When asked if he could be ready to close on Opening Day with a limited spring workload, Perez laughed.

"I'm going to have to be," Perez said. "No other choice. But I really can't tell you a set number of outings [to be ready]. It's always different. Last year I was ready halfway through Spring Training. ... Two years ago I probably wasn't ready even when Opening Day came, but I figured out a way to get outs when it started.

"Hopefully this year I can get it all done within six or seven outings and be ready for Opening Day."


(mlb.com)

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez cracked a smile when asked if it was silly to wonder if he was excited about finally being cleared to throw a bullpen session.

"It's not silly at all," said Perez, who has been sidelined for the past three weeks with a left oblique strain. "I'm excited about a bullpen. It's the next step."

On Wednesday, Perez threw long toss from a distance of 150 feet, marking the final stage of his flat-ground throwing program before being able to move back on a mound. If Perez feels fine over the next two days, the closer will be able to work through a bullpen session during Friday morning's workout at the Indians' player development complex.

Perez injured his side near the end of his first bullpen session of the spring and the team indicated that he would need four to six weeks to fully recover. If he continues at his current pace, Perez believes he will be able to squeeze in five or six Cactus League appearances before camp breaks.

Prior to pitching in spring games, though, Perez needs to work through one or two bullpen sessions and likely a simulated game against Minor League hitters.

"We're still on pace to make it for Opening Day, which is our biggest goal right now," Perez said. "No setbacks. I'm feeling good. My arm feels better than it did last year at any point. It feels like I did in 2010. I'm ready to go.

"That's another frustrating part. My arm feels so good that I want to get out there. I want to attack. I want to do my job and I can't do it."

Perez's job is to hold down the ninth inning and he did so to the tune of 36 saves in 40 chances as an American League All-Star last season. Cleveland remains hopeful that he will be able to be in the bullpen come Opening Day, but manager Manny Acta has noted that setup man Vinnie Pestano could serve as a temporary closer, if necessary.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez (oblique) is planning to play long-toss from a distance of 150 feet on Wednesday.

If that goes well, it won't be long before Perez is cleared for mound work. He suffered an oblique strain while throwing his first bullpen session of the spring and was originally prescribed a recovery timetable of 4-6 weeks. But he's currently ahead of that pace and could be ready for Opening Day if the progress continues.


(rotoworld.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez is making a steady recovery from the oblique strain that he suffered during his first bullpen session of the spring, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, and may be ready to resume mound workouts this week.

Perez, who was originally prescribed a recovery timetable of 4-6 weeks, has already progressed to throwing long toss at a distance of 105 feet.
Once he’s able to extend that to 120 feet, the Indians’ medical staff will clear him for bullpen sessions and then live batting practice.

“I feel good,” Perez told reporters Saturday in Indians camp. “Right now, everything is based on how I’m feeling each day and I’m feeling really good.”

The 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA in 59 2/3 innings last year, saving 36 games in 40 tries. If he’s not ready by Opening Day, early save chances will likely go to talented setup man Vinnie Pestano.


(hardballtalk.com)

Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com writes that the Indians believe Chris Perez (oblique) still has a chance of being ready for Opening Day.
Perez is gradually increasing the distance of his throwing after straining his left oblique late last month. Initial reports had him missing 4-6 weeks, so there's still a chance he could be ready if he doesn't run into any setbacks. Vinnie Pestano would be the likely candidate for saves if Perez needs extra recovery time.


(rotworld.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- After nearly two weeks of a gradual rehab process, Indians closer Chris Perez was allowed to pick up a baseball again on Tuesday morning.

Perez worked through 45 throws from a distance of 60 feet at the Tribe's player development complex, marking the first time he has played catch since injuring his left oblique during a bullpen session early in camp.

"I felt good," Perez told reporters on Tuesday. "I don't know what's on tap for tomorrow."

Perez strained his side in the later stages of a 10-minute mound session on Feb. 23. Cleveland announced that the timetable for recovery for his type of injury typically takes four to six weeks, meaning that returning before Opening Day remains a possibility.

"He played catch with [head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff]," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "That's a good first step, is being able to do it and follow the calendar."

Last week, Perez guessed that he might be able to return to game action by March 15, but that is likely an unrealistic target date. If the closer's comeback falls within the four-to-six-week time frame, he might be able to take the mound in a game at some point between March 22 and Opening Day on April 5.

The Indians will see how Perez feels on Wednesday morning before moving ahead with the next step in his throwing program, which will see the distances increase in 15-foot increments. Perez needs to build up to 120 feet before moving back on a mound and then beginning game activities.
Last year, the 26-year-old Perez posted a 3.32 ERA and saved 36 games in 40 opportunities in an All-Star season for the Indians.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez (oblique) said his goal is to make it back by March 15 and he should be good to go for Opening Day.
Since he's been given a 4-6 week timetable, the closer is being optimistic here. Perez injured his left oblique during a bullpen session when he went full-out a little too soon rather than easing himself into things. The smart money would probably be on him starting the season on the DL, with Vinnie Pestano the likeliest candidate to handle the ninth inning work.


(rotoworld.com)

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. — Chris Perez couldn't even finish his first bullpen session without trouble.

Now he has to save opening day.

Cleveland's All-Star closer will miss at least one month and possibly six weeks with a strained left side muscle he injured throwing off the mound for the first time in spring training. Perez said Sunday he had thrown about 30 pitches Thursday when he pulled up with what he thought was a cramp.
Instead, he strained an oblique muscle.

"Just one of those fluke things," he said.

It's the second significant medical setback in camp already for the Indians, who were ravaged by injuries last season. On Friday, the club announced that center fielder Grady Sizemore will not be ready for opening day because of a strained lower back.

Trainer Lonnie Soloff said there's still a chance Perez will be ready for opening day on April 5, depending on how he does with treatments.
Asked if Perez would miss the opener against Toronto, Soloff said, "I wouldn't say that."

"We'll have to see how things go and how he responds with his throwing sessions once he gets back on a mound," he said.

Soloff said Perez will need four to six weeks to recover and the hope is the hard-throwing right-hander will be able to pitch in games "toward the end" of the exhibition season.

Perez, who had 36 saves in 40 chances and a 3.32 ERA in 64 games last season, believes he can return in time to start the season closing games for manager Manny Acta.

"Opening day is not out of the question for me," Perez said. "Four to six weeks is on the long side of when I want to be back out there. Obviously, I have to listen to my body. Now, it's just go out and bang out my rehab."

Soloff said Perez was pushing himself too hard so early in camp.

"His body was clearly not ready for the intensity of that bullpen session," said Soloff, who was asked if he meant Perez was not in shape.
"No," he said. "I'm just saying he wasn't prepared for the intensity of the bullpen session."
Perez later said he was just too aggressive.

"What he (Soloff) means by that is it was the first day, I was going 100 percent," Perez said. "He probably wanted me to go 75 or 50 percent, but that's not who I am. I get work in throwing 100 percent. I'm not going to go throw a bullpen at 50 percent and pretty much just waste a day.

"I was doing what I normally do when I throw a bullpen It wasn't because I came in out of shape or anything."

Because he's a reliever and not a starter needing to build stamina, Perez will not need as much time to get ready for the start of the season. If there's a bright side to his injury, that's it.

Definitely a positive," Soloff said.

If Perez winds up not being available for the opener, setup man Vinnie Pestano would be Acta's likely first option to close.
Acta has said there are two bullpen jobs up for grabs this spring.


(startribune.com)

Check out our EXCLUSIVE photos from the 2012 UM Baseball Fan Fest which featured a HR Derby won by proCane Minnesota Twin Danny Valencia. Other proCanes like Jemile Weeks, Jon Jay, Chris Perez, Eddy Rodriguez and many more joined the festivities.


Jemile Weeks, Danny Valencia

Jemile Weeks

Peter O’Brien

The Maniac

Jemile Weeks

Rony Rodriguez

Danny Valencia

Jemile Weeks

Danny Valencia

Danny Valencia, Peter O’Brien




Click here to see more photos ->> Read More...

Check out our EXCLUSIVE photos from the 2012 UM Baseball Fan Fest which featured a HR Derby won by proCane Minnesota Twin Danny Valencia. Other proCanes like Jemile Weeks, Jon Jay, Chris Perez, Eddy Rodriguez and many more joined the festivities.


Jon Jay, Danny Valencia, Jemile Weeks, Coach Jim Morris, Chris Perez

Peter O’Brien, Rony Rodriguez, Jemile Weeks, Danny Valencia

Jon Jay, Jemile Weeks

Danny Valencia

Jon Jay, Coach Gino DiMare, Jemile Weeks

Adan Severino, Richard Giannotti

Chris Perez

Jon Jay

Alex Fernandez




Click here to see more photos ->> Read More...

For those of you who are also suckers for a good baseball story involving fathers and sons, Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez has one that will warm your winter bones.

In a recent interview with Jim McCarthy Jr. of Bleacher Report, the 26-year-old right-hander related the tale of how much he enjoyed his first-trip to the All-Star game — and how he made sure to thank his father for being there for him during every step of his career.

"The morning of the All-Star game there was a family brunch for the players and their families," Chris Perez said. "Before entering the brunch, they handed out All-Star rings. When I picked mine up, they asked me to try it on. (I already had planned to give the ring to my Dad, so I had told them to make the ring 5 sizes too big for me.) My Dad was right next to me and noticed how big it was on me. I tried to play it off, but he kept making a deal about it. So finally I just walked away.

"Flash forward to after the game, my family and I are relaxing back in the hotel, and I pulled out the ring and gave it to him. He was shocked/surprised/happy/speechless. I couldn't think of anyone else that deserved the ring more than him; he's the reason I love the game, and the reason I became an All-Star."

That's great stuff right there. Though Perez never saw the field during the Midsummer Classic, the expanded rosters still gave he and his father the chance to share a special moment like Heath Bell did with his dad the year before. There are a lot of arguments to be made against the expanded rosters, but this is definitely one for them.

If you're wondering what Perez's dad thought of the gesture, you're also in luck. Tim Perez told his side of the story to the Bradenton Herald last July.

"I wasn't expecting it. We were in the room, and Chris just said 'I want to give you something,'" [Tim Perez] recalled. "My first reaction was, 'Son this is your ring. And he says 'No, dad, I wouldn't here without you.' I wasn't expecting anything. I was just a dad supporting his son."
Just a dad supporting his son. And a son paying thanks to his dad. Maybe some of you roll your eyes at the saccharine sweetness of it all, but I don't think it gets much better.

Chris Perez finished the 2011 season with 36 saves and a 3.32 ERA, but like his Indians, stumbled a bit in the second half. It'll probably take another stellar first half from both sides for Perez to make another All-Star game, but it sounds like it'll be tough to top the moment that he and his pops had during his first trip.


(sports.yahoo.com)

CLEVELAND — All-Star closer Chris Perez and the Cleveland Indians have locked up a one-year contract to avoid arbitration.

Perez, who had 36 saves last season, will make $4.5 million in 2012. He earned $2.25 million last season, when he developed into one of the AL’s premier finishers.

The 26-year-old had 36 saves in 40 tries, ending the year with a save in his final nine chances.


(washingtonpost.com)

The Indians have offered contracts to all the unsigned players on their roster, including seven who are eligible for arbitration this winter.

The club had until midnight Monday to tender contracts for the 2012 season to any unsigned players listed on the 40-man roster. Any players who are non-tendered become free agents.

All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, starter Justin Masterson, closer Chris Perez, third baseman Jack Hannahan and relievers Joe Smith and Rafael Perez have all been tendered contracts. The next step for them is to file for arbitration.

It's likely the Indians will try to sign all seven before any arbitration hearings are held. The team hasn't gone to a hearing with a player since 1991.
Cabrera could be in for a big payday. He batted .273 with 25 homers and 92 RBIs last season.



(cnnsi.com)

Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports that the Indians will listen to offers for closer Chris Perez.

Bastian cautions, though, that the market "likely is not there this winter." Perez is under team control for three more years and is coming off an All-Star season, so the Tribe would probably ask for quite a bit in return in any deal. The Indians don't have much money to spend this season but seem to have a right-handed hitter at the top of their list.

(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three home runs accounted for all the Indians runs Tuesday as they beat Chicago, 4-3 [box score], Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Progressive Field.

The win went to Fausto Carmona (7-15). Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his 35th save in 38 chances. Joe Smith and Vinnie Pestano cleared the way for Perez by retiring the side in order in the seventh and eighth. Perez made it nine straight as he worked a one-two-three ninth.


(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his 34th save Sunday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in a one-run win over the Twins.

Perez allowed a hit and struck out a batter to help Cleveland complete a sweep of Minnesota. It was a nice bounce-back performance from the closer, who had allowed six earned runs over his previous two appearances. Prior to those implosions, Perez hadn't surrendered an earned run in his last 14 outings.


(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez is under the Indians' control through '14, but his job could be in danger next spring. Perez posted a 2.43 ERA before the All-Star break, but since then, he's carrying a 4.64 ERA with three blown saves and three losses. The Indians look like they'll stick with Perez for the rest of '11, but Vinnie Pestano (2.40 ERA, two saves, 12.14 K/9) may force their hand next year. The Indians' reliever broke out this year and with his arsenal, he's worth a speculative add in all AL-only leagues if Perez continues to struggle.


(cnnsi.com)

Chris Perez nailed down his 31st save Friday, pitching a clean ninth inning in a win over the Royals.

Perez went through a rough straight after the All-Star break, but he's now gone 13 straight appearances without allowing an earned run. The All-Star closer has successfully saved 31 of 35 chances on the year and holds a nice 2.68 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.


(rotoworld.com)

CLEVELAND (92.3 The Fan) – The past few seasons as the Cleveland Indians have been looking to rebuild for the future, the closer spot has been nothing more than an afterthought.

There was the ill faded experiment to sign and bring in Kerry Wood, which turned out to be nothing more than an awful waste of a two-year deal that cost the team $20.5 million. In return, Wood was an unhappy, mostly injured pitcher who put up 28 saves before he was finally shipped off in a deal to the New York Yankees.

What that move did was open the door for the pitcher that Indians fans now cheer for entering the game in the ninth inning. Chris Perez.

Perez is the best closer the Indians have had since Joe Borowski, who in the magical season of 2007 put up 45 saves in a year that saw the Indians come just short of reaching the World Series.

Monday night at Progressive Field, Perez notched his 30th save of the year. He’s 30-for-34 in save situations, to go along with a mark of 3-6 with an ERA of 2.79.

While Perez has gotten the job done a lot in 2011, it usually doesn’t happen until a few beads of sweat fall from the brows of fans during his save situations.

That was not the case Monday, as Perez struck out Brandon Allen and Conor Jackson before getting Kurt Suzuki to hit a harmless pop up to Asdrubal Cabrera at short to end the game and save the 2-1 win over the Oakland A’s.

“I felt good in the bullpen,” Perez said. “Just one of those nights where everything was going where I wanted it. Kept the slider down and fastball was going away where I wanted it.”

Moving forward, the Indians are happy with the direction that Perez has taken, and entering 2012 and beyond, there’s no doubt the team has their closer.

“I wanted the highest save percentage I could get,” Perez said. “My main thing is to stay healthy and help this team 60 to 65 times a year, that’s my job. If I’m healthy and my arm is good and I execute my pitches I’m gonna have a pretty good year.”

Following in the footsteps in some of the great Indians closers of the past like Ernie Camacho, Doug Jones, Bob Wickman and Jose Mesa, Perez already is on his way to being one of the great Indians closers in the team history.


(cleveland.cbslocal.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians' plan to get healthy at the expense of the lesser lights began with a thud Monday night against the Seattle Mariners.

Not that the Indians are heavyweights at the moment, or since late May. But they seemingly are in a division race and are supposed to beat the non-contending Mariners at home, especially when Felix Hernandez does not start.

Instead, Seattle received strong pitching from lefty Jason Vargas and capitalized on wildness by Tribe closer Chris Perez to win, 3-2, at Progressive Field.

Vargas gave up two unearned runs in seven innings as the Mariners (54-72) defeated the Indians for the first time in five games this season. The Tribe (62-62) has lost four straight and fell into a tie for second with the White Sox in the AL Central. Both are 5 1/2 games behind the Tigers, who won at Tampa Bay.

The Tribe has not been in third since April 3.

With the score tied at 2, Perez opened the ninth by plunking right-handed batter Miguel Olivo with his first pitch. Perez hit right-handed Brendan Ryan with a 3-1 pitch, which the Indians thought might have ticked the bat.

"I guess I was flying open to righties, and the ball was taking off," Perez said. "By the time I made the adjustment, it was too late."

No. 9 batter Trayvon Robinson bunted toward the mound, where Perez fumbled the ball attempting to throw to third.

"I tried to do too much, too fast," Perez said.

Ichiro Suzuki whiffed. Former Indian Franklin Gutierrez popped to shallow center, where Ezequiel Carrera caught the ball and threw a strike to the plate with decent velocity. Olivo slid under the tag of catcher Lou Marson in a bang-bang play.

Tribe manager Manny Acta, who has seen more than a few calls go against his club, argued briefly with plate umpire Phil Cuzzi.

"I watched it on replay," Acta said. "It was very, very, very close -- but he was right."

Perez walked Dustin Ackley, then struck out Mike Carp swinging.

"It was one of those bad outings, and it's unacceptable," Perez said. "I gave up a run without giving up a hit. That's pretty embarrassing."

Perez has been a superb closer this year, but several non-save situations have ended ugly.

"I think it's more coincidence than anything," he said. "The game is still on the line. I'm mentally in it. I'm still trying to get three outs without a run scoring and get my team back in the dugout."

The Indians threatened in the bottom of the ninth against Brandon League. With two outs, Jack Hannahan singled to left and sprinted to third on pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall's single up the middle. Mariners shortstop Brendan Ryan should have made the play on Chisenhall's grounder, but the ball went under his glove.

With Carrera at bat, Chisenhall stole second unopposed. Carrera fouled three full-count pitches before grounding to first.

"Our pitching gave us a chance one more time; we just couldn't execute offensively," Acta said. "We had plenty of opportunities but couldn't take advantage."



(cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND - It’s been an ongoing debate all season.
Should closer Chris Perez be employed in the ninth inning in a non-save situation?
Cleveland manager Manny Acta says yes, but the results keep screaming, “Noooooooo!”
Once again Perez took the mound in the ninth inning without a save on the line Monday night, and once again he imploded, paving the way for a 3-2 loss to the Mariners at Progressive Field.
Perez allowed an unearned run in the ninth on his own error, as Seattle handed Cleveland its fourth straight loss without a getting a hit in the final inning.
The right-hander hit the first two batters he faced, the first on his first pitch, then committed an error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Miguel Olivo barely beat the throw to the plate on a one-out sacrifice fly from former Indians outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to win it.
“I got off to a terrible start, first pitch,” Perez said. “It was an adjustment I couldn’t make in time. By the time I made the adjustment, the bases were already loaded.
“It was just one of those bad outings, unacceptable - you name it.”
Though his numbers in non-save situations aren’t terrible - 0-2 with a 3.37 ERA in 21 appearances - it is when Perez has been least effective. He has taken the mound in the ninth inning without a save on the line 15 times and allowed at least one run in seven of the outings.
Still, Acta keeps running Perez out there and will continue the approach the rest of the season, no matter the consequences.
“That’s part of his job, simple as that,” Acta said. “He’s the one that should be there. He should be comfortable, because last year he wasn’t pitching in save situations. He was backing up (Kerry) Wood.
“You’re not going to play with a 24-man roster because someone’s not comfortable in a situation.”
“I think it’s more of a coincidence,” Perez said. “I have more of a chance to fail in those situations because if they score we’re going to lose the game. But there’s obviously something I need to change.”
The Indians need to change something fast. They have fallen back to .500 at 62-62, and thanks to a Detroit win Monday, are facing their biggest deficit of the season - trailing the first-place Tigers by 5 1/2 games in the Central Division standings. Chicago, which was idle Monday, is also 5 1/2 games back.
Indians starter Fausto Carmona continued his effective stint since leaving the disabled list, allowing just one earned run on six hits, while striking out six over six innings.
Carmona, who is 2-2 with a 2.49 ERA in seven starts off the DL, wasn’t dominant, tossing too many pitches during the early stages of his outing, but he got credit for a quality start.
“Fausto kind of labored a little bit and got his pitch count up,” Acta said. “But he made pitches and gave us a chance to win the ballgame with six strong innings.”
As has been the case throughout the majority of the season, a Cleveland starter got little run support.
Mariners starter Jason Vargas allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings, surrendering both as the Indians tied the game in the second. Cleveland outhit Seattle 9-7 but left seven on base and struggled to come up with a big hit - something that has plagued the Indians all year.
“We just couldn’t execute offensively,” Acta said. “Hits don’t help you win games. Hits with runners in scoring position help you win games.”
The Indians got much of their production from the bottom of the order, with Lou Marson, Lonnie Chisenhall and Ezequiel Carrera combining for six hits and both of their club’s RBIs out of the last two spots in the lineup.
It was part of that mix that helped produced Cleveland’s final chance in its final at-bat.
Jack Hannahan sparked the would-be rally with a two-out single and moved to third when Chisenhall pinch hit for Marson and delivered a base hit through the middle.
Carrera had a quality at-bat, fouling off three straight 3-2 offerings from Mariners closer Brandon League before grounding to first to end the game.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.



(chronicle.northcoastnow.com)

Indians closer Chris Perez entered Thursday's series finale against the White Sox in the ninth inning with a two-run lead. The right-hander needed just 12 pitches to retire the side in order and secure the 4-2 win. Perez also lowered his ERA to 3.06 while collecting his 27th save of the season.



(fantasysp.com)

Cleveland Indian Chris Perez pitched a perfect ninth for his 25th save in 28 chances on Saturday as the Indians earned their fourth win in five games to remain three back of AL Central-leading Detroit.





(signonsandiego.com)

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez has posted 22 saves and a 3.11 ERA this season so far.

He is one of the more entertaining players in Major League Baseball.

Check out the video of him a few posts down.

Here are some other questions I asked him:

Smitty: Do you know whether a pitch will be a strike or not immediately after you release the baseball?
Perez: On most days, I do know whether it’s going to be a strike or not when I release the ball. But sometimes, you release the ball and you just hope it’s going to go in there. I’m sure every pitcher has gotten into one of those stretches, where your location — you just kind of lose it for a little bit. And you’re just feeling your way through and hoping the ball gets into the strike zone. But for the most part,when it leaves the hand, you kind of know. It feels like it’s going to be a strike.

Smitty: If you could talk pitching with anybody, who would it be?
Perez: Talk pitching or hitting?

Smitty: Either.
Perez: Hitting-wise I’d probably want to talk to somebody like a Tony Gwynn or a Wade Boggs or somebody like that who hit for a high average because obviously that’s more difficult to do. Power hitters are special … but to hit for a high average — maybe like Pete Rose who’s the all-time hits king — you have to be a pretty smart hitter, have a good idea, have a good approach and kind of know how the pitchers are going to try to attack you. Somebody like that, I’d like to try to pick their brain and see what kind of approach they took, especially late in the game because that’s when I pitch. I know hitters switch up their approach with a starter compared to a reliever.

Smitty: Any pitcher you’d like to chat with?
Perez: I actually got to talk with Bob Gibson quite a bit when I was with the St. Louis Cardinals and he’ a pretty special guy to talk about pitch with. Just about intimidation and having a presence on the mound. He’s one of the all-time greats of that. I picked up some stuff from him. And It was just cool listening to him and his stories.


(eagletribune.com)

Indians manager Manny Acta is not opposed to using closer Chris Perez in the ninth inning or later of a tie game when the Indians are on the road.

He did it once this year on April 13 against the Angels. Perez, with the score tied, 3-3, started the 10th inning and pitched 11/3 scoreless innings. The Indians lost, 4-3, in the 12th when Chad Durbin gave up a run.

The idea of a manager using his closer on the road in a non-save situation is to extend his team's chances of winning the game. If Acta had waited to use Perez against the Angels until the Tribe had a lead, his best reliever would have never left the bullpen.

Acta could have used Perez on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ninth inning against Boston. In each game, the score was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. On Tuesday, he went with Vinnie Pestano, who gave up a walkoff single to hitter Jacoby Ellsbury to beat the Tribe, 3-2.
On Wednesday, Joe Smith took a 3-3 tie into the bottom of the ninth. He retired the first two batters before Ellsbury hit a game-winning homer to straightaway center field.

"I've done it in the past," said Acta. "The majority of the time I do it is when the heart of the order is coming up."

Pestano and Smith faced the bottom of the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"When I use the closer in that situation, I want him to face the toughest part of the lineup," said Acta. "Sometimes if you're saving your closer for just a save situation, there's a chance that if you bring another guy in from the bullpen, he might not survive that inning because you're on the road. Then what are you going to do with your closer?

"We've done it. I'm not afraid to do it. The main thing is to try and win the ballgame."

Acta said he rarely uses his closer in a tie game on the road in the ninth inning. He will wait for the right spot in extra innings.

"I'm not going to save my closer until the 14th inning, just waiting for the save," said Acta. "But in that situation Wednesday night, we'd used Tony Sipp [in the eighth], but we still had Smith."


(cleveland.com)

BRADENTON -- Tim Perez has worn the ring nearly every waking moment since the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 12 in Phoenix.

It’s a reminder of how his son made a dream come true for several generations of his family.

That son is Chris Perez, the highly touted closer for the Cleveland Indians. He was selected for his first All-Star Game this year and wanted to share the moment with the person he believes made it possible.

The 26-year-old Perez followed his dad and uncles, who were athletes at Southeast High. Tim was the quarterback for the Seminoles in their inaugural game against Manatee High and baseball for Manatee Junior College but then gave up sports for the world of work. None of his family members made it as far as Chris, but they have jumped on what seems like a magic carpet ride.

On the night the All-Star Game ended, Chris gave his All-Star ring to his dad, shocking Tim and bringing tears to his eyes.

“I couldn’t do anything else but give him the ring,” Chris said. “He taught me the game. If it wasn’t for him and all the sacrifices he made for me, I would not be where I am today. The ring is like a thank-you for everything he did for me.”

When Tim was summoned to his son’s hotel room after the game, he had no idea he would receive the gift of his life. Now, he can’t take it off -- and it’s generating questions from nearly everyone he meets.

“I wasn’t expecting it. We were in the room, and Chris just said ‘I want to give you something,’” his dad recalled. “My first reaction was, ‘Son this is your ring. And he says ‘No, dad, I wouldn’t here without you.’ I wasn’t expecting anything. I was just a dad supporting his son.”

Chris played three years for Manatee High, spent his senior season at the IMG Academies Pendleton School and finished his collegiate career at the University of Miami. He was the 42nd overall pick in the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft and came up to the big leagues two years later.

It’s become more than just a ring for Tim Perez. It symbolizes more than a generation of family members who loved the game of baseball, but couldn’t reach the plateau that Chris has attained.

“I’ve been wearing the ring every day since I got it. I always wanted to play major league baseball, but I couldn’t make it. Chris made it for the both of us,” Tim said. “I am living that through him. I am proud of it and proud of my son. So many people notice it but don’t know me. They ask about it, and I tell them about Chris.”

To Chris, dad is the special person.

Tim started teaching his son the game of baseball when he was 4 years old until his senior year of high school, when he realized he had taken him as far as he could.

“I never envisioned my son playing in the major leagues,” Tim said. “My focus was one day he would get to college and play for Manatee Community College. I never thought it would be for Miami. He did it. In his mind, he knew he could play Major League Baseball.”

The best part for Tim is that the stardom has not changed his son.

“Even at the All-Star Game, he is still the same person to me. He is my kid and has not changed,” Tim said. “He gets paid well, but it’s not like he shows it. He takes care of his family and has a nice home. He is normal kid, who happens to have a gift.”

Tim saw a passion burning in his son that was something special. He could also throw a baseball more than 90 miles per hour, which made the move from catcher to pitcher seem natural.

“Chris would go to every Pirates game at McKechnie Field. Even on school days when he couldn’t get there until the fourth or fifth inning, he would go,” Tim said. “He said, ‘Dad I am going to do this someday.’ In his mind, it would always happen.”

But Chris insists it would not have happened without his father.

“He never forced me to do it. He provided the opportunity to go to IMG, and I am sure that is not cheap. He paid for everything, all my equipment and summer ball and never told me no,” Chris said. “He said play every game hard, you never know who is in the stands and respect the game. I learned my work ethic from him.”

The big moment in Chris’ career came when he switched to becoming a full-time pitcher after catching all his life through his junior year of high school.

“He sat me down and laid it all out and said if you pitch, you might be able to make it to the big leagues,” Chris said. “I loved catching and hitting but felt at the end of the day I wanted to keep playing, and if pitching is the way, I will do it.”

The rest is history. Chris has become one of the top closers in the game and is enjoying every moment. He has shown he has the right demeanor to fit his role.

“To be in my first All-Star Game felt like my major-league debut. I was like a kid again. It was tremendous and something I will always remember,” Chris said. “I remember sitting in the living room watching the game when I was a kid. You never think you would be there because the odds are so stacked against you. It’s pretty cool.”

Now Chris is helping to keep Cleveland in the thick of the American League Central Division race. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound right-hander has 22 of the team’s 24 saves, which ranks him fifth in the league.

“To be a good closer, you need to have a short memory and a lot of self-confidence. When you get the ball, you’ve got to have that killer instinct. In the end, you have to trust yourself, and you’ve got to be healthy,” he said.


(bradenton.com)

The Indians dropped a heartbreaker last night in Minnesota when closer Chris Perez surrendered two runs in the bottom of the ninth. Perez has had a problem with walks, and one of the guys to whom he issued a free pass is current Twinkie and former Indian Jim Thome.

So, the guys want to know whether you think Thome, who was a key part of the Indians' World Series runs in 1995 and 1997, is a Hall of Famer. That's today's Starting Blocks poll. Branson and Chuck both think he's not a first-ballot entrant into the shrine, but that's where they split: Branson isn't sure he's a Hall of Famer at all, and Chuck is convinced that he's earned a spot in Cooperstown.

Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes, who covered the Tribe during the awful years before and since those Series runs, says Thome gets HIS first-round ballot.

Hoynsie also wonders why Cleveland fans are after Perez's scalp following last night's blown save. Both of the saves Perez has blown have been one-run games. Hoynsie notes that Perez isn't a 1-2-3 kind of stereotypical closer, but he pointed out that the guy is just about as lights-out as the Yankees' Mariano Rivera.

The guys also discuss the beaning of Travis Buck and the odd alignment of a universe that has the Indians AND the Pirates in first place in the dwindling days of July. Also on the docket: Hoynsie's take on what the Tribe would be willing to surrender (hint: not Drew Pomeranz) to get the pitching or a right-handed bat for a run at this year's post-season.


(cleveland.com)

MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Perez dreamed of this scenario many times while living with Danny Valencia at the University of Miami.

Bottom of the ninth. Bases loaded. Game on the line. Perez on the mound and Valencia in the box.

The outcome wasn’t quite what he had in mind.

Valencia hit a two-run single off Perez in the ninth inning, sending the Minnesota Twins to a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Perez’s pitch on the inside corner broke Valencia’s bat, but the third baseman had just enough on it to bloop it into left field, scoring Joe Mauer and Michael Cuddyer, and giving the Twins a much-needed bounceback victory.

“Of course,” said Perez, who lived with Valencia for two years in college and has known him since they were 17-year-old high schoolers in South Florida. “At least I got the bat. You can’t be too happy about that hit. He’s happy because they won, but I’ll take that swing every time. It just fell in there.”

The Indians were looking to take an eight-game lead over the fourth-place Twins in the AL Central when Perez (2-5), the All-Star closer with 22 saves in 23 chances, took the mound.

But the right-hander was a little off from the start, walking Mauer with one out and giving up a bloop hit that Cuddyer stretched into a double. Jim Thome was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Valencia came to the plate for the long-awaited showdown.

“I thought I made some good pitches to Mauer,” Perez said. “One of the four that he called balls, are strikes to 90 percent of the league. But that’s baseball, too. So, I didn’t make pitches when I needed to.”

Valencia was in Perez’s wedding, and said he was waiting for a slider.

“I’m sure he wants to throw a slider because he’s always said that’s what he’s going to strike me out with,” Valencia said. “Luckily enough he couldn’t get ahead and he gave me a pitch I could hit good enough to get to the outfield and it fell in there.”

It was huge emotional lift for Minnesota, which was swept in a day-night doubleheader to start the series on Monday.

“He’s a guy who’s been pretty much money for us since last year, especially in one-run situations,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “So, they just got to him with those couple of well-placed singles.”

Cleveland fell into a tie with Detroit for the division lead. The Tigers rallied to beat Oakland 8-3 at Comerica Park.

The Twins were dominated for most of Tuesday’s game by Justin Masterson, who allowed four hits and struck out six in 7 2-3 innings. With a fastball that hit 97 mph and a heavy sinker that routinely was clocked between 93 and 94, the right-hander with the big, looping delivery mowed through Minnesota’s struggling lineup.

He retired 13 straight hitters before running into trouble in the seventh when Mauer reached on an error and Cuddyer singled to put two on with nobody out. But the big righty fanned Thome and got Valencia to ground into an inning-ending double play to preserve the lead.

A scary moment happened in the fifth inning when a 91-mph fastball got away from Liriano and hit Travis Buck in the helmet. The ball smacked just above Buck’s ear flap and ricocheted into the stands as a sellout crowd held its breath.

A dazed Buck sat down in the dirt, but was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power a few moments later.

“I hope he’s OK,” Liriano said.

The Indians announced that Buck left with a head contusion and said there were no immediate signs or symptoms of a concussion.

Looking a little rattled, Liriano gave up a single to Ezequiel Carrera to load the bases with nobody out. But he wiggled out of the jam, only allowing a sacrifice fly to Asdrubal Cabrera.

Perez’s night didn’t figure to get any easier when he left the ballpark. He planned to spend the night at Valencia’s place in Minneapolis.

“I will be tweeting a picture of me and him,” Valencia said. “We’re just going to be watching the highlight over and over again.”

Perez figured he at least deserved something out of the deal.

“He’s buying dinner,” Perez said.


(washingtonpost.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

PHOENIX • If it's not the heat or humidity, the main topic of conversation on any summer day in St. Louis is the makeup and utilization of the Cardinals' erratic bullpen. In Cleveland, there is at least one other person interested in the issue.

Former Cardinals reliever Chris Perez, traded to Cleveland in 2009 in what became an unfortunate trade for utilityman Mark DeRosa, has gone from being a member of the bullpen chorus in St. Louis to the lead act with the Indians. Perez, a first-time American League All-Star with 21 saves, still pays rapt attention to what's happening in St. Louis, watching as many games as he can.

"(Ryan) Franklin obviously got off to a bad start. It just seemed like he couldn't get that last out or ran into some bad streak. But they've still got some good young arms," Perez said.

"(Eduardo) Sanchez, I like. And (Jason) Motte is still there. I think (Kyle) McClellan leaving (the bullpen) and going into the rotation had a little something to do with it. He was a pretty solid setup guy for his first two or three years. But I think they've got enough pieces. Good enough arms."

Perez, who had eight saves for the Cardinals in 2008-09 before he earned 23 last year with the Indians, said he was a little surprised that Fernando Salas ended up as the Cardinals' closer, although a successful one.

"I really didn't play with him that much in the minors," Perez said. "But from what I've seen on TV, he's got good control, he's got the right demeanor and he's got good stuff. He's been in some sticky situations and he gets out of them.

"And if Sanchez comes back from (a shoulder injury), I think they'll have enough to go. Sanchez has better stuff (than Salas)"
But Perez said, "My pick (for closer) coming into this year would have been (Mitchell) Boggs, with his mentality and the stuff he has. I guess it's just not sticking."

Boggs has been used in several roles, from middle to setup to closer, a capacity in which he had three saves before yielding to Sanchez, who then was replaced as closer by Salas.

"Sounds like my rookie year (2008)," Perez said. "It's your turn for a week. It's your turn for a month. If you ask anybody in the bullpen, they don't care who it is, just so you mentally fall in line. It's hard to stay mentally sharp for five innings. Every time that phone rings, you're like, 'Is it me?'
"In my situation, I never knew when I was going to throw. Fifth inning. Seventh inning, except for a couple of stretches in 2008, when I was closing.

"Especially for a young bullpen, it's wearing."


(stltoday.com)

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Check out our new MLB U All Stars wallpaper featuring Gaby Sanchez, Chris Perez and Ryan Braun who all made tonight’s MLB All Star Game. Congrats to all three players on a great first half of the MLB Season. Click here to download our MLB U All Stars Wallpaper and many other ones or click above on proCanes Wallpapers. Enjoy and stay tuned to more wallpapers in the near future.

Coral Gables, Fla. - Former University of Miami baseball player and current Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun leads three former Hurricanes on the list of Major League Baseball All-Star Game participants released Sunday, July 3. Joining Braun are Florida Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez and Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez.

Ryan Braun and Gaby Sanchez will suit up for the National League All-Stars, while Chris Perez will play for the American League in the 82nd Annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 12, at Phoenix's Chase Field.

Braun, a starting outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers, will start for the NL All-Stars as he totes a .320 batting average on the year - the highest for the fifth-year MLB player at this point of the season in his career. He ended the 2007 season with a .324 average on his way to being named NL Rookie of the Year. Braun also carries an on-base percentage of .402, as well as a slugging percentage of .559 on the campaign for the Brewers.

On the year, Braun leads the Brewers in batting average, hits (98) and stolen bases (19).

Gaby Sanchez, now in his fourth year as a member of the Florida Marlins, will serve as a reserve infielder for the NL All-Stars, carrying a .292 average at the dish on the year for the fish. Sanchez owns a .473 slugging percentage with a .365 on-base average. Since making his major league debut on September 17, 2008, Sanchez has batted .279 with 34 home runs and 135 RBI. The Miami native has 13 of his 34 homers this year, in addition to 40 of his 114 career runs scored.

Not only does Sanchez lead the Marlins in batting average, but he also tops the team in RBI (46) - one ahead of Mike Stanton. He also leads in hits (92), while sitting second in home runs behind Stanton (16).

Cleveland Indians pitcher Chris Perez is making his first appearance on the AL All-Star roster in what is now his fourth season in the MLB. Perez owns a 2-3 record on the hill in 2011, with an ERA of 2.37. He has appeared in 33 games for the Indians and registered a team-leading 19 saves on the campaign. His career-best is 23 saves recorded last year with the Indians.


(hurricanesports.com)

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The Indians bullpen, which has been the strength of the team this season, will be without closer Chris Perez for the next couple days.

Perez left the team following the death of his grandmother in Gainesville, Fla. He was placed on the bereavement list and is expected to miss games tonight and Saturday in Cincinnati against the Reds. The Indians hope to have him back for Sunday's series finale.

Manager Manny Acta said Vinnie Pestano and Tony Sipp will split the closer's duties until Perez returns. Perez is the only Indians pitcher with a save this year.

MLB's bereavement rules say a player must stay on the list for at least three days. Perez left the team on Thursday so he should be eligible to pitch Sunday.

Right-hander Josh Judy was recalled from Class AAA Columbus to fill the roster.

Judy is 2-2 with 12 saves and a 3.30 ERA in 27 relief appearances at Columbus and has a 1.08 ERA since May 13. He has not allowed an earned run in his last eight appearances.

This is Judy's second time with the Indians this season. He was called up May 21 and made his Major League debut against the Reds on May 22 in Progressive Field, allowing two hits in one scoreless inning. It was his only appearance before returning to Columbus.


(cleveland.com)

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chris and his family.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have mastered the art of pulling out late-inning wins at Progressive Field this season.

Thanks to Seth Smith, the Colorado Rockies turned the tables Tuesday night. Smith hit his second homer of the game off Chris Perez to snap a ninth-inning tie and give the Rockies a 4-3 win.

"It's part of the game," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We're used to that now, especially the way we won so many games in the first month and a half of the season. They ended up scoring against our toughest guy out of the 'pen."

Smith, who hit a two-run homer off Mitch Talbot in the sixth, belted a 2-2 pitch into the right-field seats for his eighth homer of the season and fourth career multihomer game.

Perez, who has converted 17 of 18 save chances, was brought in after the Indians tied the game in the eighth on RBI singles by Travis Hafner and Travis Buck.

Perez (2-3) took full blame for the loss.

"It was a hanging slider," he said. "I just didn't come through. It happens. Home runs are part of the game. Obviously, that's why we lost tonight."

"He threw me some good fastballs," Smith said. "Then I hit a slider that I don't think is the best he's got. It wasn't where he wanted it."

(ap.com)

Chris Perez threw a scoreless inning Sunday in a non-save situation against the Pirates.

Perez walked two but allowed no hits and made it out of the frame unscathed. He earned his 17th save of the season on June 15 and is sporting a quality 2.39 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through 26 1/3 innings this year.


(rotoworld.com)

Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez is on the way to establishing himself as one of the top ninth-inning men in baseball. This season, Perez ranks among American League leaders with 15 saves and has posted a stellar 2.70 ERA in 23.1 innings pitched. In addition to his excellence on the mound, @ChrisPerez54 is also one of the most entertaining players to follow on Twitter, constantly interacting with fans. Perez recently discussed his fast start and notable Twitter experiences during an interview at the MLB Fan Cave.

MLB Fan Cave: Having come up in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system, what’s your favorite thing about playing with the Tribe?
Perez: It’s so loose, and we’re a younger team. When I played for St. Louis, we were more of a veteran team, so it’s a different atmosphere here. You don’t really have to follow a lot of rules and do some of the old-school baseball rookie stuff. It’s a good atmosphere to come to the ballpark every day and just worry about baseball. I’m not worrying about other stuff.

MLB Fan Cave: So, you’re famous on Twitter for selecting a “Song of the Day.” How did you come up with the “Song of the Day?”
Perez: I actually stole it from Manny Acta (Indians manager). He does a song of the day, too, but his selections are terrible. So I try to help out some of the Tribe fans by giving them some better music selections. He listens to like Miley Cyrus. It’s one thing to listen to Miley, but it’s another thing to actually admit it. So, around spring training, it started from there.

MLB Fan Cave: How do you pick the songs each day?
Perez: I really don’t have a way of picking songs, actually. I just wake up in the morning and just scroll through my library. Whatever jumps out at me is what I will go with.

MLB Fan Cave: You have a pretty large Twitter following. How did it grow so fast?
Perez: I don’t know the exact date, but I started on Twitter in ’09, during the second half of the season. It was really fun doing it, but I couldn’t get any followers. Then, last April, this guy in Cleveland set up a fake Twitter account for me, and he started getting a lot of followers. The account was really funny, and he started really interacting with the people. I saw it and decided to get back on it, and I began interacting with him. It just went from there.

MLB Fan Cave: Your teammates told us that you’re the reason they’re so active on Twitter. Is that true?
Perez: Probably. I mean, it’s obviously getting more main stream and everybody is on it. Then they started seeing how many people that are following me and people I get to meet because they follow me on Twitter—just random people at the stadiums. They started to want to be a part of it, too, and now we are a mafia on there.

MLB Fan Cave: Final question here. We saw that you interviewed Jerry "The King" Lawler last week. How did that go?
Perez: That was awesome. That was probably one of the funniest interviews I have ever done. I used to be a big WWF follower. I grew up listening to The King Lawler on Monday Night Raw. And he’s a Tribe fan, which I didn’t even know. But he was there and it was awesome; he’s just a great guy and he had some really funny stories. He’s not as tall as I thought he would be, but for being 50-plus, he’s still jacked.

MLB Fan Cave: Did you body slam him?
Perez: No, it was right before the game.

MLB Fan Cave: Chris, thanks for taking the time. Good luck the rest of the way.


(mlb.com)

Chris Perez, Cleveland Indians: It doesn't seem that many people have been concerned with Perez's diminished velocity this season, this columnist included, judging by his lofty ranking all season and generous projection a week ago. But after a loss Wednesday, and another strikeout-less outing, Perez's numbers warrant further discussion. Among pitchers with 20-plus innings this season, the Indians finisher has the 14th-worst strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.08), and among closers, only the Texas Rangers' Neftali Feliz (0.86), who has battled injuries, has a lower ratio.

The drop is stark: Perez, who averaged 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings and 94.4 mph with his fastball from 2009-10, has seen those numbers slip dramatically this season, to 5.01 and 92.9. Nevertheless, his manager, Manny Acta, told the team's official website a few weeks ago that it didn't concern him.

"How hard did [ex-Indians closer] Doug Jones throw when he saved the games over here?" said Acta. "[Perez] is healthy and he's doing a nice job for us. I've seen him throw 94 or 95 [mph] in different games. As long as he gets the saves and he's healthy, I'm fine with it.”

The problem, however, is that Perez's peripherals show that he's walking a proverbial tightrope, his 3.36 FIP (fielder independent pitching score, on an ERA scale) and 4.93 xFIP (expected FIP) hinting that his current 2.70 ERA is a fluke. His line-drive rate has also soared to 24.1 percent, and he's continuing to serve up fly balls at a high rate (46.3 percent). Perez continues to get the job done -- he's 15-of-16 in save chances and 25th among relief pitcher eligibles on our Player Rater -- but the low strikeout rate is bothersome in fantasy and if you wanted to say he's been somewhat of a magician so far, you'd have a point.

Perez offered an explanation for his diminished velocity in early May: "I'm not worried about it at all. It's not far off from where I was at this same time last year. People seem to forget about the beginning of last season."

While it's true that Perez's velocity was down early in 2010 -- he averaged 93.7 mph in April of last year -- the numbers don't entirely support his claim. Through June 8 of the 2010 season, he had averaged 94.3 mph with his fastball. And if you're curious if it's improving, consider that Perez has averaged 93.8 mph with the pitch the past 30 days, but 93.4 mph in June so far. It's not a devastating drop, but it's something that bears watching, especially accounting for his peripherals.


(espn.com)

Chris Perez recorded the final two outs to earn his 15th save in Cleveland's 1-0 win against the Twins on Tuesday.

He struck out one, stranding a runner on second. Perez has converted 15 of 16 save opportunities so far this season for Cleveland. The 25-year-old has a 2.42 ERA in 22 1/3 innings this year. His weak 13/12 K/BB ratio should improve as the season presses on.


(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez (FSY)   has been perfect in save chances in May, but not all is well with the Cleveland Indians closer. Perez has more walks than strikeouts in May, an intolerable combination for closer success. The poor skill indicators foretell a downturn. This might be the high-tide mark for Perez's value, so consider selling before his results turn for the worse.

It is not yet time to think about who is next in line, though, as Perez has earned plenty of rope with his results to date, despite the poor skill indicators.



(usatoday.com)

Chris Perez earned his 13th save retiring the Sox in the ninth after allowing a one-out single to J.D. Drew and a single to Jed Lowrie. With runners at first and third. Carl Crawford knocked into a 4-6-3 double-play to end it.




(mlb.com)

CLEVELAND -- Chris Perez knows that his troubles against left-handed hitters this season begins and ends with him. The Indians closer had a similar issue early on last season and the solution was simple.

The problem stems from where the catcher is set up behind the plate.

"It's not their fault," Perez said on Sunday. "I haven't told them to do it yet."

Last season, Perez realized that his fastball would often tail off the plate when the catcher was set up over the outside corner. When the catcher would set up down the middle, the pitcher's heater would break over the corner for a strike -- one hitters are hard-pressed to handle.

"I just need to start picking up my sights differently," Perez said. "I need the catcher to start setting up just down the middle, so when I come through and I pick up my sight, he's down the middle and I can throw it to him and let the movement take it to the corner."

In Saturday's 2-1 win over the Reds, the issue was on full display. The right-hander walked the left-handed-hitting Joey Votto -- the reigning National League Most Valuable Player -- with one out and later walked lefty-swinging Jay Bruce with two outs. Perez said those two free passes were more about the situation.

"Sometimes you live to fight another day by walking a power hitter in a one-run game," Perez said. "In that situation, we had a chance to win that series right there. It was a big game and a one-run lead with the MVP coming up and their team leader in homers coming up right after that.

"Once I fell behind, I wasn't going to give in to give them a cookie so they could tie the game up, that's for sure. So I took my chances."

It worked out. Sandwiched between the walks was a double-play groundout off the bat of Brandon Phillips. Then, with two outs, Perez struck out Scott Rolen to seal the win and his 12th save of the year. Still, the two walks were part of a larger problem.

Entering Sunday, Perez had issued 12 walks in his 19 innings pitched for Cleveland. Of those free passes, 10 came within the 44 meetings with left-handed hitters. By comparison, Perez had walked two right-handed batters in 34 meetings.

"He's struggling a little bit right to throw strikes to left-handed hitters," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But he's pretty tough. He stays out there and works himself out of trouble. He's going to get into a groove again where he's going to be able to dot that fastball to lefties."

Perez echoed that sentiment.

"I'm not worried about it yet," Perez said. "It hasn't come back to bite me yet in the games -- knock on wood. But it is something I want to change and I'm confident I can."



(mlb.com)

What will Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez do the next time he blows a save if this is how he feels about giving up a run during a 7-3 victory?  Maybe we should just assume that Perez was embarrassed to give up a run Tuesday night to a team the Indians beat 19-1 on Monday.  Yeah, we’ll go with that.

Chris Perez pitched the ninth inning in a non-save situation Tuesday because he needed some work. Because of rainouts Saturday and Sunday, Perez, like many Indians relievers, had a lengthy rest. Perez's appearance Tuesday was his first since May 10, and the rust showed. He needed 28 pitches to get three outs, giving up a run on one hit and two walks.



(foxsportsohio.com)

Cleveland Indians RP Chris Perez said he is not worried about the drop of velocity because he went through something similar last season. "I'm not worried about it at all. It's not far off from where I was at this same time last year. People seem to forget about the beginning of last season. They only remember what happened at the end of the year, when I didn't allow any runs," Perez said. He believes that the velocity will go up when it get warmer.



(kffl.com)

Chris Perez earned his second win of the season on Tuesday night against the Rays, striking out one during a scoreless ninth inning.

He had allowed at least a run in four out of his last eight appearances, but locked the Rays down while the score was 4-4 on Tuesday and watched Kyle Farnsworth walk in a run to end the game in the bottom half of the inning. Perez is 2-1 on the year with 10 saves, a 2.81 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He's a high-end fantasy closer.



(rotoworld.com)

Relief pitchers jog in from the bullpen, but closers like the Indians' Chris Perez should ride in on a Harley.

Successful closing is 75 percent killer pitch, 25 percent attitude and image. Requires a wild hair and wild hair.

Perez takes the mound with both -- a 95-mph fastball launched from a 6-4, 230-pound body with a thick dark beard and shoulder-length mane up top.

When the Indians acquired him and minor-league pitcher Jess Todd mid-season two years ago from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa, fans groaned because DeRosa was one of the team's few live bats. One columnist scoffed that the deal marked the club's annual summer garage sale.

But after a shaky start, Perez has emerged as one of the game's dominant closers.

The two runs he allowed last Thursday, blowing a save in the cold rain of Kansas City, were the first he had given up since Aug. 6.

Before the misfire, he hadn't given up a run in 261/3 innings dating back to last season, and had converted his last 15 saves. So far this season, Perez is six for seven when brought in to seal a win.

"I just have to go out and start a new streak like I did last year," he told reporters after the loss.

If he does, the 25-year-old right-hander could become a local cult hero. He's on the verge of it already.

One fan created a tribute Twitter account with the snappy handle, "Pure Rage Perez" -- a nickname hatched from a comment former Indians catcher Chris Gimenez made to reporters after a game last season, that Perez "showed pure rage out there."

"I guess it's kind of my de facto name in Cleveland," Perez said. "It's fine. It kind of adds to the mystique when I come out there."

Off the field, friends say he's more "Pure Chill," but Perez feeds into the cocky closer's persona. The bio on his actual Twitter account (twitter.com/chrisperez54) reads: "Relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians . . . Former UM Hurricane . . . Just a normal guy with an arm like a f******* cannon."

He has surpassed 8,100 Twitter followers and is gaining about 500 a week. Fans are caught up in his success on the mound and the fact that he Tweets back to them and expresses what's on his mind, including a song of the day.

"Rough one tonight," he posted after his blown save in Kansas City. "Tomlin pitched excellent. Feel bad giving away his w. As Jay-Z says: 'On to the Next One.' "

"He's loved how the fans have rallied behind him. He loves that they call him the real Rick Vaughn [the wild child Charlie Sheen character in the film 'Major League']," said Andrew Lane, a former University of Miami teammate and his best man.

"I think he's a great fit for Cleveland," he said, "and Cleveland's a great fit for him."

It wasn't at first. His Tribe debut in 2009 was a disaster: four runs, two hits, hit two batters, threw a wild pitch, forgot to cover first on a potential double play in two-thirds of an inning.

"Not the impression I wanted to make," Perez said at the time.

His next two impressions weren't much better, but he stood in the clubhouse and faced reporters. He didn't hide, and, for better or worse, didn't filter his answers, once suggesting the catcher should have blocked a pitch in the dirt that set up the winning run.

"Well, that's from me," said his father, Tim Perez, a former junior college catcher who coached his son from age 4 through his junior year of high school. "I've always told him, 'If you believe in something, then stand behind it.' "

He started out a White Sox fan
Chris Perez grew up in Bradenton, Fla., a fan of the Chicago White Sox and their powerful first baseman Frank Thomas because they held spring training in nearby Sarasota. He put posters of "The Big Hurt" on his bedroom wall and still has his White Sox key chain.

Back then, Perez was also big and hurt the ball with his bat like his baseball idol. As a high school catcher, he once rocketed a home run off a light standard. That shot came against a team featuring Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta.

But he could throw a ball 90 mph as a freshman, and, by his senior year, was made a pitcher almost exclusively.

"He fought us for a while," his dad said, "because he wanted to hit."

At the University of Miami, Perez was in the starting rotation, but position and personality kind of clashed. He would last five innings and start to fade.

"I don't like holding anything back," he said. "I don't like having to pace yourself as a starter and having to set up guys because you might have to face them later. I like facing them with my best stuff right away."

When Miami's closer got hurt, Perez asked the coach for a shot at the position. His dad wondered whether it was a smart move, given that major-league scouts look for starting pitching, and asked if he was sure about the switch.

"He said, 'Dad, my dream is to be the last guy on the mound striking the last guy out,' " his father said.

With the Indians, Perez was Kerry Wood's set-up man initially. When Wood got hurt, then was dealt to the Yankees, Perez was given the chance to be that guy.

After the first few stumbles, Perez found a rhythm. Late in 2009, he made 20 straight appearances without allowing a run, and his 1.71 ERA was second among American League relievers and among the best in baseball last season.

In January, the Indians rewarded him with a one-year contract worth $2.23 million -- a $1.8 million raise from a salary just above the league minimum.

"When he's comfortable and feels good about what he's doing, that's what you're seeing now," said his father.

Gunslinger image left on the mound
You're also seeing a player Hollywood would have plucked in a casting call for closers.

Clean-shaven Mariano Rivera of the Yankees aside, the game's great stoppers would look right at home in the bleachers of an Oakland Raiders game.

Rollie Fingers and his handlebar mustache. The ratty look of sweaty, long-haired Dennis Eckersley. Thick-bearded Bruce Sutter, Jeff Reardon and now San Francisco's Brian Wilson, whose long jet-black beard looks like a cheap disguise.

They're burly, they're scary, they're usually a little off -- even if it's an act, like Al "The Mad Hungarian" Hrabosky, with his Fu Manchu and untamed hair, who angrily stomped to the back of the mound to psyche himself up.

Perez said he would sport the beard and long hair if he was a middle reliever, because he looks like a teenager without it.

And friends say he leaves the gunslinger image on the mound.

On road games in college, Perez and Lane would play TV "Jeopardy!" or explore the town like tourists. If Perez had any meal money left over, he would buy baseball cards.

He's into video games and old cars. At home, he prefers to barbecue, sit back and relax.

"The person he is now is the person he's always been," said Jared Powell, a friend since they were teens.

When time allows, Perez is learning to play the black Fender acoustic guitar with Hawaiian trees along the neck he had shipped to the clubhouse. He's an avid collector of baseball cards, autographs and jerseys -- many of which adorn the man cave of the Tampa, Fla., home where he, wife, Melanie, and their 6-month-old son, Maxwell, live.

The room has the required big-screen TV, a pool table and a scuffed wood floor and ceiling from a Tennessee auditorium where Elvis Presley once performed. (It was there when they bought the house. He rocks to Led Zeppelin.)

"Yeah, I think you have to be kind of a free spirit," said Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage, who saved 310 games in 22 seasons, mostly with the White Sox, Yankees and San Diego.

To be dominant over the long haul, he said, you must have one overpowering pitch, handle the pressure of being either the hero or goat night in, night out and be able to file and forget a horrible outing.

"Willie Nelson has a song, 'Yesterday is dead and gone,' " Gossage said. "You've got to learn from the bad, build on the good and absolutely let it go."

Like a 95-mph fastball with the game on the line.



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez notched his fifth save of the season on Sunday in a 4-2 win over the Orioles.

Perez threw seven of 10 pitches for strikes in a perfect ninth inning. He is five-for-five in save opportunities and is one of the reasons Cleveland currently sits atop the American League.



(rotoworld.com)

Chris Perez earned his first save of the season Tuesday against the Red Sox, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Perez allowed a hit and a walk, needing 27 pitches to record three outs, but escaped unscathed. The 25-year-old righty is a top fantasy closer despite pitching for the putrid Indians. He posted a 1.71 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 23 saves in 27 chances last season and looks primed for another big season.



(rotoworld.com)

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. -- It wasn't a meltdown or a choke job. It had nothing to do with an apparent argument between Indians closer Chris Perez and catcher Carlos Santana in the ninth inning of Monday's 4-3 Cactus League victory over the Cubs.

Perez said it was more about a hot day and an early lunch.

"I got light-headed," said Perez. "The last batter I faced [Darwin Barney], I almost passed out. I walked him and I couldn't stand up anymore."

Perez squatted on the back side of the mound and vomited before leaving the game.

"I threw up, but it was only water," he said. "I was light-headed and I was seeing stars. Just some low blood sugar. . . . My arm is OK."

He said it used to happen to him when he was growing up and playing baseball in the Florida heat.

"I just didn't have enough food in me," said Perez. "I ate lunch early. I didn't even eat a protein bar."

Perez entered the ninth with a 4-1 lead looking for an easy three-run save. He retired the first batter, but hit Tyler Colvin and walked Aramis Ramirez. When Carlos Pena doubled past first to make it 4-2, Perez did not appear happy with Santana as he gestured at him near the plate.

After Pena's double, Perez and Santana talked on the mound. Perez was screaming into his glove, Santana was talking and the crowd was screaming.

"We were just trying to get on the same page," said Perez. "He hasn't caught me all spring. It was our first time. With the game on the line, we were trying to get our pitches in the right sequences."

Perez struck out Alfonso Soriano, but threw a run-scoring wild pitch to make it 4-3 before walking Barney. Vinnie Pestano relieved and earned the save.

When asked if the discussion between Perez and Santana was about Perez not feeling well, manager Manny Acta said, "That's not what it was about." He would not elaborate, "No, gossip," he said.

Perez said he was trying to change the pitch sequence with Pena on second so he could not steal Santana's signs.

"It's hard to talk when everybody is yelling," said Perez. "It looks like we're screaming, but we're just trying to talk. . . . The language was a little different. It's fine. It shouldn't be a problem."

Perez said he talked to Santana after the game.

"It shouldn't be as problem the rest of the year," said Perez.



(cleveland.com)

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Chris Perez is a passionate guy. You can tell by the emotion in his voice, by the animated way he carries himself and by the way he explains the positives and negatives of keeping a beard.

"I started growing it last year in spring training and got off to a good start, so I kept it," said the Indians' closer. "Now, it's kind of my image. My wife doesn't mind it, if I keep it trimmed. But it's a little out of control right now.

"I'll never cut my (long) hair, but at the end of last year I kind of got tired of the beard. It really gets in the way when I eat or drink something. But the hair - it stays unless I get traded to the Yankees."

Shoulder-length hair and a scruffy beard. They are part of Perez's persona. He might look like he's about to spin out of control, but he never does. Quite the opposite. Perez has a plan, a method developed over the years, sometimes by trial and error. Like his beard.

"When I was with St. Louis, I had a goatee and was going to trim it and accidentally shredded half of it," he said. "I really screwed it up. That's originally how I got facial hair. I was 20 or 21 in an older organization and didn't want to look like a young guy."

Perez still is a young guy. At 25, he is one of the younger closers in the big leagues. He became the Tribe's full-time closer after Kerry Wood was traded midway through last season. Perez went on to save 23 games in 27 opportunities, compiling a 1.71 earned-run average.

"It's just pitching," Perez said of saving games. "That's what I do. Pitching is pitching, but obviously I realize that if you give it up in the ninth, the game is over."

Over the past 30 years, general managers, managers and the media have overhyped the job of closer into being almost too stressful and fraught with pressure for normal mortals. All of this has become a self-fulfilling prophesy to squadrons of otherwise competent pitchers, who when asked to keep a lead in the last inning were unable to retire three batters.

Successful closers know the task can be demanding, but no more so than trying to hold a lead in the seventh with runners on second and third and one out.

"For me personally, I think that's harder," Perez said. "When I come in for the eighth or ninth and the game is close, I think the pressure is on the hitters. If it's the seventh, they still have two or three innings left, and there's not so much pressure on them."

Failing to hold the lead in the ninth can be demoralizing, both for the closer and his team. That's why a pitcher who blows a save must have a short memory.

"Everyone is different," Perez said. "If a team just beats me, it rolls off my back pretty quick. If I walk guys or make bad decisions, then it takes a little longer."

But the ramifications of failing can be more complex than that for a closer.

"When I was with the Cardinals, I was shagging in the outfield when (manager Tony) La Russa came out to talk to me," Perez said. "He told me that Dennis Eckersley didn't let blown saves go that easy. Those were what drove him, because he never wanted to feel that way again.

"So as much as you want to turn the page, you also want to come into the clubhouse and be able to look at the starter who threw five or six good innings and look at the guy who got three hits and the guy who turned a double play. Those are the things that keep you going."

Like most closers, Perez has developed a routine on game day.

"I'm not one of those guys who stays in the clubhouse for five or six innings," he said. "I'm out there right away. I have to get my scouting report with my own eyes. I talk with the other guys all the way to the seventh.

"Then I start getting focused. I try to visualize who I might face. I visualize having guys on base and making pitches. I'm a guy who believes you can trick your mind into doing things."

Perez has known nothing but closing since he was drafted by the Cardinals as the 42nd overall pick in 2006. And that's the way he likes it.

"I'd rather be a closer than any other job on the staff," he said. "Starting might be fun, but I don't like sitting around for four days. If you have a bad start, you think about it for four days. I think all of last year, there were only two days that I knew I wasn't going to pitch."



(sacbee.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Have the Indians found their long-term closer in Chris Perez?

This is not to question Perez's ability -- his 95 mph fastball and slicing slider are exactly what a team wants in the guy pitching the ninth inning. Perez had some games last season where he didn't just close the door on the other team, he slammed it shut with sizzling stuff.

Consider that five different pitchers have led the Tribe in saves in each of the last five seasons. That may also be why the bullpen has often been a nightmare for fans in Wahoo red, white and blue.

Even when Bob Wickman saved games in the mid-2000s -- and he converted 88 percent -- those final three outs came with fans gobbling down packs of Tums while closing their eyes and mumbling incoherently. Wickman's last year with the Tribe was 2006 when he had 15 saves before being traded midseason.

In 2007, Joe Borowski saved 45 games with a 5.07 ERA, doing it like a man walking a tightrope while juggling meat cleavers. He had fans longing for Wickman, who seemed to walk only two guys before somehow saving the game.

Borowski's arm went bad in 2008, and that led to a horrible bullpen where the saves leader was Jensen Lewis with 13.

In 2009, the Indians signed Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20 million deal.

It seemed Wood never understood that Progressive Field was not Wrigley Field, as he sort of moped about not being in Chicago while dealing with some minor physical problems. He had 20 saves.

In 2010, Wood was traded in July, Perez took over and saved 23 of 27 save opportunities.

So there you are: Wickman, Borowski, Lewis, Wood and Perez.

Five seasons, five closers.

Perez dominated
Now, for some good news. Perez is 25. He won't be a free agent until 2015. Of all the recent Tribe closers, none had a better year than Perez in 2010.

His 1.71 ERA was the second best of any American League reliever with at least 60 innings. He was 10-of-11 in one-run saves, the most demanding challenge for a closer. He also had five saves where he pitched more than one inning. He was a rarity in this age of specialization where a closer is typically asked to record just three outs.

The more Perez pitched, the better the result. He finished the season converting 18-of-19 saves.

"I always knew I could do this," Perez said. "I've been a closer most of my life."

He is 6-4, 230 pounds with long, wild black hair and fiery eyes. He doesn't just stare down a hitter, he glares at him as if the batter wants to kill his best friend.

"I'm a little wired out there," Perez said. "Sometimes, I want to throw 100. That's not good, because I'll start walking guys. I can get them out at 95."

Perez said in his early days at the University of Miami (Fla.), he started a few games.

"But I'm so keyed up, by the fifth inning, I was exhausted," he said.

Perez can light up the radar gun at 98 mph in nearly every outing. His average fastball is about 95. His slider is more of a 90-mph sizzler.

He became the big, intimidating power reliever the Tribe hoped to have when throwing cash at Wood before the 2009 season. Perez arrived quietly that same summer. The Indians were on their way to 96 losses. Veterans such as Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were being traded. They also sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for Jess Todd and Perez.

In 70 games with the Cardinals (2008-09), Perez had a 4-4 record with a 3.72 ERA and was 7-of-11 in save situations. The Cardinals believed Perez had the physical ability to close, but wondered if he had the temperament to handle the pressure of the job.

So, that deal looks more like a steal for the Tribe, a good move to counter some of the other trades where Tribe fans are still awaiting the payoff for having their stars traded for prospects.

Dealing with failure
Early last season, Perez blew a save and hinted that the catcher should have blocked one of his pitches in the dirt that set up the winning run. It's not what a closer does. He is like a quarterback. No matter what goes wrong -- it's your fault. Just stand up and take the blame.

Perez figured that out, making sure his emotions were under control when speaking to the media on those few occasions when he didn't save a game.

"The job gives you more chances to fail," he said. "You can lose a game in the seventh inning, but when you blow a lead in the ninth -- everyone knows you did it. You feel you let the team down."

Perez has had a tremendous spring (1.23 ERA) and manager Manny Acta has praised his conditioning and determination.

"I think he's in better physical shape than last year," Acta said. "Just as important, his confidence has grown. He has done the [closer's] job. Now, I want him to take another step forward and be one of the leaders in the bullpen in terms of helping the other guys out there."

"I want to do that," Perez said. "I'll do what they ask. Like there were times when they had me pitch more than one inning. I can do that. In some ways, closers have gone soft. They don't always have to just pitch the ninth."

It was Tony La Russa -- when he managed Oakland -- who decided the best way to handle a closer was to have him open the ninth inning with only one job in mind -- get the last three outs and preserve the lead. Bring him in with no runners on base, and ask him to pitch only one inning.
It was supposed to increase the odds of success for a reliever, and it turned Dennis Eckersley into a superstar. Soon, other managers followed that formula.

The Indians have a rule that no one appears in more than three games in three days. They want to limit the multi-inning work for Perez, but Acta said he still will ask Perez to do it on occasion.

"I'm open to it," said Perez. "Really, I just want to pitch. It's so much fun."



(cleveland.com)

You might have seen the headline when Cleveland Indians closer Chris Perez signed a one-year deal with the Tribe in January.

But you probably never heard about one of the first things he decided so spend some of that $2.2 million on.

He bought a baseball card.

Now, it's not just any card, either. Perez purchased a one-of-a-kind Topps card, a fold-out booklet with the signatures of nine 1927 New York Yankees attached. The two biggies? Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, while the seven other autographs are the rest of the starters in the legendary lineup known as "Murderers' Row."

The cost? A mere $20,000.

"This is definitely a nice little gift I'm giving myself for my new contract," Perez said from spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. "Some people buy cars, jewelry, houses. I wanted to buy something a little different. I could barely talk my wife into letting me bid the initial $20,000 let alone get in a bidding war."

In an interview about the card and his collecting habits appearing in the latest issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly, Perez admits that he does chase his own cards -- though they're not quite as expensive. He appears on just 235 cards, according to the Beckett.com database, and they're worth an average of just $3.51 apiece.

"I own every one of my own cards, except the 1/1s [where only one copy is made]," he said. "But I do check out eBay to see if there are any printing plates or other 1/1s."

Perez, who made his big-league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008, said his biggest previous card purchase was an autographed 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols rookie card -- a card that typically fetches about $4,000.

"I have made some big purchases before," he said, "but nothing of this magnitude."



(espn.com)

Stan McNeal of the Sporting News noted that last season, Indians closer Chris Perez had a 1.71 ERA, compared to the 1.80 of the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, whose inclusion into the Hall of Fame is only delayed by every year he returns.

Perez will be an All-Star this year, McNeal predicted in his preseason preview.

Good thing, right?



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez runs his fingers through the thickening facial growth and tugs at one of baseball's best beards.

"It's just a look," he says, explaining his bushy cheeks that haven't crossed paths with a razor for more than a year. "It doesn't have to be a closer's look, but I do get to have a little more liberties. I guess it's my calling card. I have to have it."

The closer.

Not only does Perez look the part, he seems to have been born to play it.

Free-spirited and easily approachable, Perez isn't intimidating — except when he's perched atop the mound and staring down a hitter digging in at the plate. With a God-given, lively arm and a beat-me-if-you-can attitude, Perez emerged last season as one of the majors' top relievers.

He converted 23 saves and posted a 1.71 ERA, the league's second-lowest mark. At 25, Perez became the youngest pitcher in club history to notch 20 saves. The Indians may have had a rotten season, losing 93 games amid a lengthy roll call of key injuries. But Perez's 2010 couldn't have gone any better.

"It was a tremendous year for me personally," he said after making his spring exhibition debut. "Obviously, I was able to finally achieve what I always wanted to do in this game, which is to be a closer. I had a really good second half and that kind of validates all the hard work and years that it took to get to this point."

Perez has the ideal temperament to close. He's cocky, but cool. He's got a fearsome fastball that he'll throw anytime to anyone.

Perhaps his bio on Twitter sums him up best: "Chris Perez, relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, former UM Hurricane. Just a normal guy with an arm like a (blanking) cannon."

He's always had the physical gifts, well, at least one notable gift. His right arm.

From the time he started playing T-ball as a kid, Perez, whose dad got as far as the lower minor leagues as a catcher, played behind the plate. Through the bars of a catcher's mask he learned about pitch counts, location, cutoffs and defense.

"I loved it," Perez said, recalling those days wearing the gear. "I loved blocking balls, throwing guys out at second. You're a part of every play. It's fun."

Never once did he consider pitching. It didn't have any appeal and Perez certainly never thought about it as a possible career. That all changed during his junior year at Pendleton (Fla.) High School, when his team ran out of pitchers during a tournament.

His coach asked for volunteers to take the ball, and Perez offered his services. He had no concept of mechanics and only hoped to embarrass himself. He was as raw as it gets.

Then one pitch changed everything.

"I hit 93 (mph)," he said. "It was the first time I was ever clocked. I didn't know what I was doing. I was just throwing.

"From that time on, my dad's like, 'You are not catching anymore.'"

Perez initially resisted a move to the mound. He didn't see any future as a pitcher and couldn't understand why everyone was insisting he make the switch. Eventually, he caved, and after a brief stint as a starter in college at Miami, he's been a reliever ever since.

Drafted as a closer by St. Louis in 2006, Perez studied some of the game's top closers, hoping to pick up tips on how to get those precious, final three outs. He had seven saves for the Cardinals in '08 and one more in '09 before being dealt to the Indians for infielder Mark DeRosa.

He was tabbed to be Cleveland's set-up man before last season, but when Kerry Wood was injured during training camp, Perez temporarily inherited the closer's job. It became his permanent role when the Indians shipped Wood and his $10 million contract to the Yankees before the deadline.

Perez didn't just take the job. He ran with it.

In 32 games from June 28 until the end of the season, he posted a 0.53 ERA, a startling number that would fog up any stat geek's glasses.

Perez loves the pressure, he thrives on it. While others may buckle under the tense, stomach-churning final innings, Perez relishes the chance to lock up a 'W' for his team. Once he gets manager Manny Acta's call and exits the bullpen, Perez loves the spotlight at the center of the diamond.

It's what he lives for.

"It's you and everybody knows it's you," Perez said. "Nobody's coming in after you. That's probably what I enjoy the most about the job. But the best part is getting that last out, stranding that winning run on second or third. And preferably striking out their biggest hitter."

Perez doesn't want to be a one-hit wonder as a closer. One great season won't suffice. He wants many more.

"The history of baseball is that there are a whole bunch of guys that had one of two good years," he said. "I don't want to be that. I want to be here for the long haul and have a great career."

The beard's staying. In fact, facial hair — loads of it — seems to be baseball's newest trend.

It sure worked for San Francisco's Brian Wilson, last year's saves leader, who won a World Series title looking like a grizzly bear.
Perez won't take it that far.

"His is a little overplayed," Perez joked. "I'm not going to use any dye or anything like that. He's got Just For Men up there for sure. Nothing's that black."



(sfexaminer.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez took his new toy out for a test drive during his Cactus League debut.

Perez has been fine-tuning a changeup that he plans on adding to his pitch arsenal this season. In his one-inning appearance against the Reds on Sunday, the right-hander threw mostly fastballs, but mixed in his new offspeed offering.

"I started working on it and playing catch with it last year," Perez said earlier this spring. "I threw it in a couple games towards the end, but it's something I'm working on. It gives hitters another look."

Perez, who posted a 1.71 ERA and chalked up 23 saves for Cleveland last year, also throws a slider, though he did not use any in his spring debut against Cincinnati. Perez said that he used a three-finger grip for his changeup, which breaks straight down when it is working properly.

"Some days it tails in," Perez said. "It changes day to day until I master it."



(mlb.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If not for the small matter of the title being copyrighted, and perhaps for the larger issue of clean-cut Robert Redford playing the leading man, "The Natural" might be the appropriate name for the making of Chris Perez as a major-league closer.

He always had the arm and a love for the high wire. Now he has an inaugural season of success behind him and a looks-the-part beard to go with long locks and the attitude best captured in his Twitter bio:

"Chris Perez, relief pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, former UM Hurricane. Just a normal guy with an arm like a ******* cannon."

A year ago in spring training, when Perez was the closer in waiting behind Kerry Wood, pitching coach Tim Belcher shared a scouting report about a young aggressive Reds' player Perez would face the next inning. Belcher said the kid was a dead fastball hitter. Came word from Perez, "He ain't seen mine yet."

Perez, 25, backed up the bravado in 2010. His 1.71 ERA was the second-lowest among AL relievers. Opponents hit .182 of him, the fifth-lowest. With runners in scoring position, hitters batted .133. His 23 saves in 27 chances made him the youngest reliever in Indians history to record 20 saves.

"It was a tremendous year for me personally," Perez said. "Obviously I was able to finally achieve what I always wanted to do in this game, which is to be a closer. I had a really good second half and that kind of validates all the hard work and years that it took to get to this point."

Wood's injury last spring cleared the path. But whatever angst the Indians felt about Perez moving into the closer role was mitigated somewhat by the second half of 2009 -- which was particularly impressive considering how his Indians career began after the June 27 trade from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa.

Perez lasted two-thirds of an inning in his debut against the White Sox, allowing two hits and four runs. He hit two batters, walked one, threw a wild pitch, allowed a stolen base and failed to cover first. A week later, Chicago's Paul Konerko hit a grand slam off him.

Not the best way to make friends and influence a new fan base. Soon after, though, Perez put together a consecutive scoreless streak of 20.2 innings. Perez and the Indians gained confidence. Both knew coming into 2010 that if the Indians fell flat, Wood would likely be traded to a contender.

"It was a perfect season all the way around," Perez said of his development. "Even -- you don't want anybody getting hurt -- but even Woody going down in spring training made it so much easier knowing that I was the guy out of spring training."

Indians' manager Manny Acta called Perez becoming the closer "a matter of time." Perez's success means one less concern for Acta coming into 2011. For Perez, the concern is doing it all over again.

"The history of baseball is that there are a whole bunch of guys that had one of two good years," Perez said. "I don't want to be that. I want to be here for the long haul and have a great career."

Some big-league closers come to the job out of failure. They flop as a starting pitcher first. Or injuries dictate it. Perez never got attached to that idea of starting pitcher celebrity. Not in high school -- where he dedicated himself to catching and found the mound almost by accident.

His junior year at Pendleton (Fla.) high school, his team played seven tournament games in three days and exhausted its supply of pitchers. Perez volunteered. He had no idea about mechanics or direction but was clocked at 93.

"From that time on, my dad's like, 'You are not catching anymore,'" Perez said.

Except for a brief experiment as a starter at Miami, he moved directly to the bullpen and told to forget his change-up. Getting on the reliever track early and staying there speeded his development when St. Louis drafted him.

"He definitely had the stuff," said pitcher Anthony Reyes, who was with the Cardinals at the same time. "He's refined his pitches. That's allowed him to take the next step."

Perez thrives on the action. In college, he fell in love with the idea of pitching with the game on the line. He also watched relievers like Houston Street get drafted and make a quick impact. Now he's done the same.

In 2011, the idea is to make it a lasting one.



(cleveland.com)

Chris Perez: OK, so Perez isn't exactly a nobody in Fantasy. He'll get drafted in every league, in fact. But most Fantasy owners don't seem to grasp just how impressive his breakthrough 2010 season was. From June 28 on, he posted a 0.53 ERA, striking out 37 batters in 34 innings. He allowed less than a hit every two innings during that stretch. A pitcher can't get any more effective than that. True, he pitches for a bad team, but that hasn't stopped Joakim Soria from earning elite status in Fantasy. At a time when so many big-name closers have so many concerns, Perez is more valuable than anyone gives him credit for. He's a late-rounder who's almost sure to perform like a middle-rounder, if not better.



(cbssports.com)

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians closer Chris Perez placed one foot on the chair in front of his locker, rested an arm on his knee and stared off, trying for the life of him to remember the first time he notched a save as a professional pitcher.

"Quad Cities," Perez said after a long pause. "It would've been July."

So far, so good.

It was July 10, 2006, and Perez was on the mound for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits, facing the Dayton Dragons. A 16-mph wind was blowing out to right field at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and Perez -- a Cardinals farmhand at the time -- was asked to work the 10th and final frame.

Did any of that ring a bell?

"I don't remember that at all," Perez said with a laugh. "I do remember the stadium. They've got a big dragon out there that shoots out flames. It was pretty cool."

Having a short memory is an important trait for any closer, so perhaps it is fitting that Perez does not recall all the details of that brief appearance. He got three outs and, in the end, that is all that really matters. In the years since, Perez has solidified himself as one of baseball's top young stoppers.

Closing out games in the big leagues was always Perez's dream, too.

Well, at least it has been his dream ever since he realized he was not going to cut it as a starter at the University of Miami. When he figured out he was not going to be the ace of the Hurricanes' staff, or even a member of the rotation, Perez decided there was only one thing left for him to do.

"I wanted to be the best guy out of the bullpen," he said. "That's the closer."

Perez is coming off a spectacular season as the Tribe's ninth-inning man, giving him a firm hold on the same role this year. Last summer, all the 6-foot-4 righty did was fashion a 1.71 ERA (second lowest among American League relievers) while saving 23 of the Indians' 69 victories.

Perez also struck out 61 hitters in 63 innings and held batters to a .182 average. From June 28 through the end of the year, the righty posted a 0.53 ERA. With runners on base, he limited hitters to a .133 batting average.

Perez made manager Manny Acta's life a little easier in the process.

"It's a nice thing to have as a manager," Acta said. "Chris Perez gives us that sense of security. He's our security blanket back there."

Perez certainly looks the part, sporting a beard and long brown hair that darts out from under his cap to give him an intimidating presence on the mound. He also allows himself to have fun along the way -- plenty of evidence can be found in that regard by following his Twitter account (@ChrisPerez54).

His overwhelming success of late in the ninth inning has earned Perez the nickname "Pure Rage" and that -- the adrenaline rush that comes with taking the mound in the final frame -- is what has always made closing out games his ultimate goal.

Perez has always had a personality suited for working late innings. He knows that is a main reason why he was not going to make it as a starting pitcher.

"I'm not one to hold back stuff on my pitches," Perez said. "The way I throw, the way my arm is, I throw 100 percent every time. I did that as a starter, too, and the fifth inning would come around and I'd be dead. I never learned how to pace myself.

"There's nothing like coming in in a close game after your team has battled back, or held on to a lead the whole game, and you come in and it's just on you. If you have a good day, you win. If you have a bad day, it's on you and you lose."

Perez has certainly experienced the latter.

In 2008 as a rookie, Perez suffered a handful of blown saves for the Cardinals when St. Louis was in the hunt for a playoff spot. Two came in back-to-back outings in September and Perez cringes at the memory of the postgame walk to the clubhouse.

"It's hard. It's on you," Perez said. "You have to walk in the room and see 24 other veterans who are busting their butts. You come in and one swing and it's done. It is tough, but I learned how to get over that."

Early in his career, it was not so easy.

Perez said he would worry too much about trying not to blow a save rather than concentrating on attacking the hitter. Or, Perez would look ahead to see who was due up in the opposing lineup, taking himself out of the game mentally before he even took the mound.

Perez said the biggest difference he experienced last season with the Indians, who acquired him in a trade with St. Louis in 2009, was on the mental front. He stopped caring about who was in the batter's box. He stopped worrying about what he did -- good or bad -- in his previous appearance.

Perez began taking the mound with supreme confidence. And it worked.

"As a closer you have to have that self confidence," Perez said. "You have to have that confidence of, 'I don't care what the situation is, I know I can get out of it. I know I can strike out these next three guys if I need to.' I know I can do that. That's what I believe.

"So whatever the situation is, I always believe I can strike my way out of it. Sometimes I don't, but most of the time I do."

Perez is even working on a new weapon.

He already featured a hard fastball and a strong slider, but now Perez is using this spring to add a changeup to the mix. When it works correctly, the pitch has a sinking action. He began toying with it while playing catch last year and he tested it out in a few late-season games.

Other than the new pitch, Perez said his goal for this season is simple.

"I'm going to try to get ahead of the hitters," he said. "When I do? I'll just do my thing."



(mlb.com)

(CLEVELAND) -- The pattern of players avoiding arbitration is continuing for the Cleveland Indians.

Just one day after Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera signed a one-year $2.025 million deal helping avoid arbitration, Tribe closer Chris Perez did the same. Although Perez' new contract has not been released yet, it is expected to be more than the $423,800 that he made last year.

Perez, 25, finished last season with 23 saves and an ERA of 1.71. The former St. Louis Cardinals right-hander began the season as the Indians closer after Kerry Wood was injured near the end of spring training. Once Wood returned Perez continued his original role as set-up man until the Tribe's full-time closer was dealt to the New York Yankees on July 31.

Perez appeared in 63 games for the Indians in 2010 and recorded 61 strikeouts.

Two Indians remain in arbitration: relief pitcher Rafael Perez and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. If they don't settle, they will exchange proposed arbitration figures with the team on Tuesday. Choo is the only player expected to receive consideration for a multiyear deal.



(WTAM.com)

In a Tweet by Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer, he reports that closer Chris Perez and the Cleveland Indians are talking. Perez is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time this winter and is under team control through the 2014 season.

Perez, 25, was 2-2 with 23 saves and a 1.71 ERA in 63 relief appearances for the Indians in 2010.



(prorumors.com)

The Indians certainly have some questions heading in to the 2011 season, but one thing they know for sure is they've found their closer in right-hander Chris Perez.

Acquired from St. Louis in the summer of 2009, Perez went 2-2 last season with a 1.71 ERA and 23 saves in 27 opportunities. That includes a post All-Star break record of 2-0 with 16 saves in 17 opportunities to go with a 0.63 ERA. Opponents hit just .158 off Perez following the All-Star break last season.

Now's your chance to ask Chris Perez about what it's like to be a closer in Major League Baseball. He'll take your questions on cleveland.com beginning Wednesday at noon. Simply type your questions in the player below. Chris will get to as many as he can.

Please note: This is a moderated chat. All questions must be approved and not all questions will be answered.



(cleveland.com)